Since it is December, and along with December comes Christmas. And with Christmas, at least at our house, comes fruit cake and often mincemeat pies, tarts, galettes, or bars. So, of course this year again, homemade mincemeat is happily mellowing in my refrigerator. What recipe I decide to use containing this amazing mixture is still to be determined. But I do know that whatever I make will be topped with a hard sauce. And not just any hard sauce. A bourbon hard sauce. (I’m still working on the recipe.)
And since it happens to be Christmas time and I am in the process of re-posting some of my favorite recipes, I decided to post some of the dishes I most associate with the holiday. And mincemeat has been a part of my Christmas for as long as I can remember. So, for me, it isn’t really Christmas unless mincemeat is featured in one of the holiday desserts.
Now, some would argue that mincemeat without meat (beef in most cases) or even suet in the mix is not the real thing. Don’t care! And I only mention beef because that was the most common meat used in the making of mincemeat in the 19th century. But before chunks of beef, it might have been tongue, tripe, venison, lamb, or veal in with all the fruit and spices. None of which are ever going to be included as an ingredient in any mincemeat I make. I frankly see no reason to mess up perfectly good, dried fruit, apples, brown sugar, spices, and booze by adding meat of any variety. And suet – no way! I use butter! Because butter simply makes everything better!
Also, most mincemeat recipes call for brandy, rum, or whiskey. But not mine. I leave those liquors for someone else to use. Instead of brandy, rum, or whiskey, I use both bourbon and cognac. Why? Because I use bourbon a lot in cooking. Can’t stand to drink the stuff, but to cook with it for either sweet or savory dishes, bourbon is perfect. It’s the sweetness of bourbon, with hints of both caramel and vanilla, that I believe works so well in this recipe. And many other recipes for that matter. And as far as that little bit of Cognac I throw in at the last moment, well, when does Cognac not add an extra little bit of joy to any dish? Especially because of the flavor sensations that are unique to Cognac – sweet, spicy, fruity, and slightly bitter. So, there you have it. A recipe for homemade mincemeat that is easy to make and absolutely delicious.
But as with other Christmas treats like Holiday Fruitcake, Caribbean Black Fruitcake, and Christmas Berliner Stollen (all on this site BTW), it is best to let mincemeat contemplate the meaning of life for a few weeks, or months, in your refrigerator before using it in one of your favorite Christmas treats. Some things just get better with age. Like fine wine, many great cheeses, and men and women who cook. Cooking helps keep older minds remain active and bodies stay limber by making multiple trips into pantries trying to remember why they went there in the first place! Or second place, etc. etc.
So, from one old cook to all of you – Peace and Love. And happy Christmas preparations.
1½ c. dark raisins
1½ c. golden raisins
1½ c. dried currants
2/3 c. bourbon
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
8-oz. candied orange peel
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ c. brown sugar
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground mace
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
¼ c. cognac
Place the dark raisins, golden raisins, and dried currants in a small saucepan. Add the 2/3 cup bourbon, bring just to a boil, stir to coat all the fruit, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, combine the apples, candied orange peel, melted butter, brown sugar, spices, and the zest and juice of the lemon and orange in a large ovenproof dish. When the raisins and currents are cool, stir into the apple mixture. If there is any liquid left, throw it in too. Cover the dish and place in your refrigerator overnight.
The following day, place the ovenproof dish in a cold oven, bring the temperature to 200 degrees, and bake for three hours, stirring every hour or so. Remove from oven, let cool completely, and stir in the cognac. The mincemeat will look quite runny. But don’t be concerned. After it has rested in the refrigerator for a few days it will be perfect.
Store covered in your refrigerator until ready to use. (Best if left to mellow at least 4 weeks, but if you are like me, the mince only gets to age for about a week. It’s still good, so no worries.)
This recipe makes enough mincemeat for 2 10-inch tarts, 2 8-inch pies, or 3 10-inch galettes.