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Mince Pie Meat II
5 cups chopped cooked beef 2 1/2 cups chopped suet 7 1/2 cups chopped apples 3 cups cider 1/2 cup vinegar 1 cup molasses 5 cups sugar 3/4 lb. citron, finely chopped 2 1/2 cups whole raisins 1 1/2 cups raisins, finely chopped Salt Juice 2 lemons Juice 2 oranges 1 tablespoon mace Cinnamon, Clove, Allspice} 2 tablespoons each 2 nutmegs grated 2 tablespoons lemon extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 1/2 cups brandy 3 cups liquor in which beef was cooked Mix ingredients in the order given, except brandy, and let simmer one and one-half hours; then add brandy and shavings from the rind of the lemons and oranges.
This is a full-size old-fashioned mincemeat, made with real beef and its broth, and it yields roughly five quarts — enough to fill eight or nine nine-inch pies. Halve or quarter it unless you plan to give jars away.
- The beefUse a gelatinous cut simmered until tender — shin, chuck or brisket — and save the cooking liquid, since three cups of it go into the mixture. Chop or coarsely grind the cooled meat rather than shredding it; you want distinct texture, not paste.
- SuetBeef suet is the hard fat from around the kidney, sold by butchers on request and shredded or ground before use. Frozen suet grates easily. Cold unsalted butter can stand in at the same volume, though the set of the finished mincemeat will be softer.
- CitronCandied citron is a thick-peeled preserved citrus, still sold in the baking aisle at holidays. Three-quarters of a pound is about two cups chopped; candied orange peel or mixed peel is the usual substitute.
- CiderIn American cookbooks of this kind "cider" in a cooked dish generally means sweet unfermented apple cider rather than the alcoholic drink. Hard cider will work and adds acidity, but with the half cup of vinegar already in the pot the mixture is tart enough.
- Spices, read carefullyTwo tablespoons each of cinnamon, clove and allspice, plus one of mace and two whole grated nutmegs, is correct for a batch this large but is a heavy hand by modern taste. Start with half the clove and allspice and adjust near the end of the simmer, when the flavors have married.
- ExtractsTwo tablespoons of lemon extract and a teaspoon of almond extract go in with everything else, so much of the alcohol and volatile aroma cooks off during the simmer. If you would rather keep the perfume, hold them back and stir them in with the brandy.
- The simmerAn hour and a half over low heat with frequent stirring; five cups of sugar and a cup of molasses will scorch on a thin pan. Use the heaviest pot you own and scrape the bottom corners.
- Brandy off the heatThe brandy and the citrus rind shavings go in after cooking, which is the point of the instruction — the alcohol is a preservative and a flavoring, and boiling it away costs you both.
- Keeping itThe original gives no storage direction. Refrigerate it in clean jars for a few weeks, or freeze it for a year; the flavor improves after a week or two. Do not store a meat-based mincemeat at room temperature.
- Filling a pieFigure about a cup and a half to two cups per nine-inch double-crust pie, baked at 425F until the crust is well colored, roughly 35 to 45 minutes. The filling is already cooked, so you are only setting the pastry.