Homemade Mincemeat Recipe • Curious Cuisiniere (2024)

FAQs

How to pimp up mincemeat? ›

Heat a pile of mincemeat in a pan with sugar, orange and lemon juice, orange peel, half a cinnamon stick and brandy, wait for it to thicken and then stir in some whipping cream.

Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Mincemeat

Mince pie / Main ingredient

Mincemeat is a combination of chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar, nuts, distilled spirits, a fat of some type and sometimes meat. The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol.

Simply take your mincemeat and place it in a clean, sterilised jar. Pour in some rum, and let it sit for a week. During this time, the flavours will meld and create a delightful concoction that's perfect for the season.

Top the mincemeat with the pastry lids, push around the edges to seal, then poke 1-2 small holes into each to allow steam to escape. Wrap the whole tray well in cling film. Will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6.

I would say it is safe. Freezing foods stops unwanted bacteria from growing, so your minced meat did not spoil 'while' it was in the freezer. If you feel it was perfectly safe to eat before it went into the freezer, it is perfectly safe to eat right now, regardless of how long ago the expiration date is.

Oxygen exposure changes meat colour

When myoglobin comes in contact with oxygen, it forms oxymyoglobin, which has the bright, red colour of beef. After several hours or days of exposure, the oxymoyoglobin can convert to metmyoglobin, which has a brown-grey colour.

If you can't find suet or you just don't want to use it, try shortening instead. One of the advantages of using vegetable shortening is that it is suitable for vegetarian dishes. Before using it, freeze the shortening until it is very firm.

What is suet in mincemeat? ›

Suet is a product made from an animal fat that is removed from the meat, clarified, chopped, and boiled. This process acts to remove impurities. When the boiled mixture cools the water and fat separate; the fat that remains is the suet.

By the 18th century it was more likely to be tongue or even tripe, and in the 19th century it was minced beef. It was not until the late Victorian period and early 20th Century that mince pies dropped the meat and had all fruit fillings (albeit with suet). Even today there are traditions associated with mince pies.

Mince is ground or finely chopped meat. Mincemeat, if referring to the mincemeat in pies, is a mixture of finely chopped dried fruit, nuts, sugar, spices and alcohol, sometimes containing minced meat, sometimes not.

The Chuck Steak is one of the best cuts to use for mince because it has great texture & flavour, grinding up perfectly.

Start by tasting it, then add extra flavours that suit: nearly always add a little freshly grated lemon or orange zest, extra spice, extra brandy or rum and some cherries or nuts.

Alcohol is usually minimal and black rum or brandy are probably best; fruit-based spirits, especially apricot brandy are recommended. Apricot jam or a chunky Seville orange marmalade are also excellent improvers. The simplest way to use mincemeat more often is to combine it with fruit.

You can pep up a jar with extra booze-soaked fruit or top the pies with a dollop of brandy butter under the pastry to make them super rich.

While savoury mince is usually thickened with flour, the secret to our favourite savoury mince recipe is the addition of a couple of tablespoons of Gravox. This not only thickens the mixture but adds an extra beefy flavour.