Lemon Mincemeat
INGREDIENTS for mincemeat for 2 dozen pies.-2 large lemons, 6 large apples, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of currants, 2 lb. of sugar, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1 oz. of citron, mixed spice to taste. AVERAGE COST, 1s. 8d.
Pare the lemons, squeeze them and boil the peel until tender enough to mash. Add to the mashed lemon-peel the apples, which should be pared, cored and minced; the chopped suet, currants, sugar, sliced peel and spices. Strain the lemon-juice to these ingredients, stir the mixture well and put it in a jar with a closely-fitting lid. Stir occasionally and in a week or 10 days the mincemeat will be ready for use.
SEASONABLE.- Make this about the beginning of December. LEMON-PEEL.
A pale, sharp mincemeat with no raisins, brandy or beef — the lemon does the work that spirits usually do. It is a filling, not a finished dish, so plan the pastry separately.
- YieldEnough for the 2 dozen pies the recipe promises. The listed quantities come to roughly 6 lb of mincemeat, so several jars' worth. Halve it comfortably if you are not baking for a household.
- Boil the peel first, and properlyThis is the hinge. The pared lemon peel must simmer until it mashes to a pulp under a fork — 30-45 minutes in plenty of water, changing the water once if you want less bitterness. Peel that is still firm stays as leathery shreds, since the short bake will not soften it.
- SuetBeef suet from a butcher, chopped fine or grated frozen, gives the traditional texture. Packet shredded suet (beef or vegetable) can be used measure for measure at 8 oz. Butter works but the mixture will set hard and weep in the oven.
- Mixed spiceBritish mixed spice, not American "pumpkin pie spice" or allspice alone. Roughly: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp coriander seed, 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves, ground together. Start with 2 tsp in this quantity.
- Citron and candied peelCitron is the thick candied rind of Citrus medica, sold in blocks or diced around Christmas; candied mixed peel substitutes for both the citron and the candied lemon-peel if you cannot find it. Slice it rather than mincing, as Mrs Beeton says — visible pieces are part of the point.
- CurrantsDried Zante currants, not fresh blackcurrants and not raisins. They are smaller and drier than raisins and will not swell as much in the jar.
- Storage, which is where this recipe shows its ageThere is no alcohol here and a good deal of raw apple juice, so a jar left in a modern warm kitchen for ten days may ferment or mould. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and use it within two or three weeks, or freeze it. Long-keeping mincemeats usually rely on brandy.
- Baking the piesThe original gives none. Fill shortcrust cases about three-quarters full, lid them, and bake at 400F for 18-22 minutes until the pastry is set and golden; the filling only needs to heat through.
- The cost line1s. 8d. is twenty pence in pre-decimal money — a shopping note for a Victorian cook, of no use now.
Mincemeat began as a way of keeping actual minced meat through winter, packed with suet, dried fruit, sugar and spice; in Mrs Beeton's book meatless sweet versions sit alongside recipes that still include lean beef, and the suet survives in both as a trace of that older kind. This lemon version belongs to a family of lighter, quicker mincemeats o brlong maturing mento be made in early December and eaten within the season rather than laid down for a year, and the cook is told to stir the jar occasionally rather than seal it away. The boiled-and-mashed citrus peel is often said to be the same technique that underlies lemon cheesecakes and lemon puddings of the period, when a whole lemon was, by this account, too valuable to waste on juice alone. Candied citron and lemon-peel were imported luxuries.