Mincemeat Pies

Bruce Trinque
The Pies
             MaryAnn's Mincemeat, and a Recipe Book History - Barry Wainwright
             Susan Collicot
             Sara Waterson
             Lois
The Comments
             Gerry Strey
             Lois
             Gerry Strey
             Adam Quinan
             Sara Waterson

Bruce Trinque
All this talk of meat pies raises the subject of "mincemeat pies", a highly spiced holiday treat in America, usually associated with Christmas or Thanksgiving. I understand they are of English origin, and originally minced meat of various types, with fruit and brandy, was used at the filling. In the US, at any rate, meat nowadays is seldom used in a "mincemeat pie", the filling (usually bought pre-made in a can or bottle) being essentially spiced fruit.

The Pies
MaryAnn's Mincemeat, and a Recipe Book History - Barry Wainwright
I just went looking in MaryAnn's Recipe Book* to see what she had to say about mince pies. She didn't list pies specifically, but this was the recipe for mincemeat - it was dated 1914:
MINCEMEAT. DEC. 1914.
3 lbs. Beef Suet
3 lbs. Apples
3 lbs. Currants
3 lbs. Raisins
12 ozs. Moist Sugar
12 ozs. Citron
6 ozs. Candied Lemon
6 ozs. Candied Orange
3 Nutmegs
3/4 oz. Salt
3/4 oz. Ground. Ginger
3/4 oz. All Spice
3/4 oz. Cloves
Juice and Peel of 3 Lemons

*MaryAnn's Recipe Book:
An old note-book was found when clearing out the house belonging to my grand-father, Harold Wainwright. It turned out to be a recipe notebook written in four different hands over three generations. Pasted into the book were also quite a lot of recipes cut from newspapers or magazines.
There was a date of 1/2/1871 on the flyleaf which could be taken as the date at which the book was started. There is a recipe in the first style of handwriting dated April 16th 1877 which tends to supports this.
There are two hands alternating in the first part of the book and, by comparison with known examples, one of them is recognised as being that of NOAH WATSON, my great-great-grandfather.
The other one, which predominates, can only belong to his wife MARY ANN WATSON (nee CLARKE) [1831 to 1903].
The third hand in the book, after comparison with known examples of her writing, belongs to their daughter, JOSEPHINE WHITNEY (nee WATSON) [1861 to 1928].
The fourth hand is that of Josephine's daughter; my Grand-mother and wife of Harold Wainwright, ALICE DOROTHY WATSON WAINWRIGHT (nee WHITNEY) [1890 to 1976].

Susan Collicot
Here is the Hatfield House in England (from the Cecil family of Prime Minister fame) recipe from 1877, for the household mincemeat pies:
28 lbs each of raisins, currants and moist sugar
12 lbs mixed peel
18 lemons
1 lb mixed spice, and a good many apples
4 bottles each of brandy and sherry
2 bottles of rum

So just now many is "a good many"? Heh.

Sara Waterson
I'm not fond of Christmas cake or pud, too rich [tho I do love the brandy butter or sauce...] - but I do enjoy mince pies and esp an open mince tart with a lattice decoration. I've just got down my recipe for mincemeat from the top kitchen shelf - just about in time, as it needs about 4-6 weeks to mature. Here it is, and it's basically from a very old cookery book which was my mother's - I've halved the quantities! - you could well halve them again, though this will keep indefinitely especially with the liquor in it.
Ingredients:
1-1/2lbs of mixed fruit [currants, raisins and sultanas] finely chopped
1/2 lb of candied peel, finely chopped [if you can't find it, use glacé cherries instead]
1 lb of apples, finely chopped
1/2 lb of suet, finely chopped
3/4 - 1lb of brown sugar [according to taste, and to whether the apples are sweet or sharp]
grated rind of 1 unwaxed organic lemon and 1 orange
juice of 1/2 of each
1/2 oz of mixed spice
1/4 approx. of a grated nutmeg [i.e. large pinch]
1/2 pint of brandy, rum or strong dark beer [optional - if omitted use other half of orange and lemon juice]
[I also sometimes used some chopped flaked almonds or pine kernels, can also be added later esp for an open tart
Method:
Chop all ingredients as required In a large bowl mix very thoroughly, adding the liquids last.
Pack into clean dry jars and cover with jam paper or clingfilm, seal well with string or elastic bands.

Lois
My recipe for mince pie: Visit Sara Around 6 Weeks From Now.

The Comments
Gerry Strey
One of Jame Beard's cookbooks (US cooking icon, non-US lissuns) has a recipe for a pie made with apple and mincemeat, incorporating a layer of applies lightly cooked in butter under a layer of mincemeat and topped with a lattice. Pleasant.

Lois
Pleasant? Talk of damning with faint praise! Have you tried the recipe? I've got a feeling its appeal may depend upon the brand of mincemeat used, I've tried quite a few, and they all seem to be quite different from each other. James Beard, though, must have made his own....or gotten one of his swabbies to do it for him.

Gerry Strey
Yes I did, and if I made it again I would increase the apple and decrease the mincemeat. As Adam said, it can be quite overpowering. I don't remember the brand of mincemeat I used (did not make my own, having no swabbies), but it had an almost chutney-like flavor--very aromatic and strong. I forgot to make clear that Bear's recipe did not include a top crust--instead the mincemeat was topped with an apricot glaze..unnecessary, I thought.

Adam Quinan
One of the few desserts that I bake regularly at Christmas. The apple mitigates the mincemeat which can be over powering in large quantities. I got my recipe from an English Good Housekeeping cookbook. I don't usually bother with the butter on the apples as the suet in the mincemeat will help soften them.

Sara Waterson
I do feel MaryAnn's version would be far too heavy on the spices for our taste, especially the huge amount of clove and nutmeg! A couple of teaspoons of mixed spice would be enough, these days, though the quantities would indeed make a good few jars... I've still got one unused jar here, and one in Berkshire, from the last mixing. As Christmas is now past, I shall probably use them in an apple and mincemeat tart - I make a pastry base, pre-cook it, then cover this with a layer mincemeat, then cover that with a good layer of sliced apple - preferably a cooking apple, like Granny Smith, though anything a bit sharp will do - and bake. Yummy, especially with créme fraîche or yogurt - the tartness of either goes well with the richness of the filling.