The holidays draw nearer each day. The slight chill in the morning air reminds me that soon there will be fires in the fireplace and all that comes with that. If you know me, you know I am already thinking of food. There are so many good seasonal foods to enjoy in the fall. One that is a bit forgotten, but always takes me straight back to a simpler time is mincemeat.
Traditionally, mincemeat was made with meat. It still is in many kitchens today, but we have opted for a meatless variety here. MIncemeat has several applications, but the most common is pie filling. At some point, mincemeat pie gained popularity as a yuletide treat. While less common today, you can still find it in some homes as a part of holiday meals. In fact, if you think you might be using it in that way, now might be a good time to make and store it.
One of my favorite childhood holiday treats was a thumbprint cookie that my mom made filled with a mound of mincemeat. I looked forward to it every year as the baking commenced. My kids have only been introduced to mincemeat recently. The word itself turned them off a bit, but the taste made up for it.
savour… traditional treats
EASY MINCEMEAT
Before you start:
Although it is called mincemeat, be sure not to chop the ingredients too fine. The raisins should just be rough cut. The only exception might be the citrus peel. It can be diced a bit smaller.
We made the citrus peel, but you can find it in most specialty supermarkets. You’ll find our method in an earlier post Passion Tea Lemonade Ice Cream.
The citrus peel is made up of equal parts of lemon and orange peel slices.
This filling will become tastier with a few days in the refrigerator.
The ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups diced apple (3 or 4 medium apples)
- ½ cup chopped raisins
- ½ cup chopped golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped dried cranberries or cherries
- ¼ cup dried currants
- ½ cup diced candied citrus peel
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup rum
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
The method:
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and reduce heat to low to medium. Cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is gone.
- Remove from heat to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
