I came across some mincemeat the other day, and since I haven't had it or made anything with it in years, I decided to look for a pie recipe. Then I realized that's the only way I've ever had it, so of course, being me, I had to investigate other types of dishes using mincemeat. I stumbled upon this recipe for Mini Orange Mince Pies that looks not only yummy, but also really holiday-worthy, so I wanted to share. Here's a definition of mincemeat, for anyone who doesn't already know. It's somewhat popular back home in New England, but I'm not sure anyone down here in Texas eats it. mince·meat ˈminsˌmēt/ noun 1. a mixture of currants, raisins, sugar, apples, candied citrus peel, spices, and suet, typically baked in a pie. Here is a link to some other recipes, in case anyone doesn't want to make this particular one:
No I personally haven't tried mincemeat anything. Since you've introduced it here I'll certainly look into it. Eating needs variety! Mincemeat sounds delicious! I'll look into the frozen section to see what they got to offer for mincemeat. Thanks!
I seriously LOVE mincemeat ! It is my most favorite pie; but you can hardly ever find a mincemeat pie in the bakery dept of the stores, or even in the frozen pie section. Since I can't make pies, I hardly ever get to enjoy a mincemeat pie. However, I sometimes make a mincemeat cobbler, which is similar, except it uses biscuit dough (which I can make) instead of the pie crust that I can't make. When I was married to my first husband, his mother was from England, and that lady could make the best mince tarts in the whole wide world ! When we saw that she was making mince tarts, everyone just stood around in the kitchen waiting for those mince tarts to be baked. I doubt that any of them ever had a chance to cool off, they were eaten so fast. If she wanted to save any, she had to fight us all off with her broom ! The pastry was made with lard, and it had the best flavor, and just crumbled in your mouth. When I was a little girl, we had REAL mincemeat that my Grandma Bailey made. Real mincemeat was actually originally made with meat scraps after the family deer was cut into venison steaks, roasts, and so forth. Grandma cooked the venison bits (she probably put them through the old cast aluminum meat grinder first), and added the raisins, apples and spices. The whole house smelled wonderful when Grandma was making mincemeat, and her pies were the first mincemeat pies that I ever ate. We had them for Thanksgiving, along with the pumpkin pies that she also made. When I make cinnamon rolls, sometimes I add a jar of mincemeat in with the raisins that I layer in the middle of the cinnamon rolls. I call them "Cinnamince rolls", and if you enjoy mince, this is an easy way to make a mincemeat treat.
Mmm, the cinnamince rolls sound good! Yes, some of the recipes call for meat, particularly venison, and other are made without it. I'm sure it's mainly personal preference, and also what's available. I found some other recipes for mincemeat. Here's one that is for the non-meat variety. And, here's another that actually uses venison and suet, in case anyone would like to try making that type. I don't think I've ever had the kind with meat, but it's been a long time, so I could be wrong. If someone wants to make it for the holidays, this would be a good time to start practicing
Mincemeat pie was the last thing my mom asked for before she lost her ability to speak. As far as I know, she never got it.
That's too bad, @Ike Willis. I I have a feeling she ultimately got her wish. I think mincemeat is a n acquired taste, and she obviously appreciated it. Have you ever had it, and do you like the taste?
Yeah, I remember eating it when I was a wee snot. My granny always made a few mince pies around the holidays. I liked it.
I always remember, that in the cartoons and movies, someone would threaten to "make mincemeat out you"! Growing up, my Mum would bake apple and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. My Aunt would bring the turkey. My Uncle always asked Mum to bake a mince pie. She would, and he was the only one,who had a piece. .....A piece.....ONE! I never knew where the rest of that pie ended up....maybe sent home with Unk? My memory is that it was something of the consistency of a raisin pie?? I guess you had to go out an kill a mince or two, to make one pie!
Mincemeat pie is similar to a plain old raisin pie; but it has SO much more character ! Not just the minced-meat (assuming that it actually had some in it), but the cloves, and kind of a sweet-sour taste (just a hint of vinegar maybe ?) that was spicier than a plain apple pie, and with the richness of the raisins. I think that it might be kind of like an avocado, one of those tastes that people either just love or really hate. For what it's worth, I love avocados, too. One of the best pies that I have ever had was a sour cream raisin pie. It has that kind of custard filling , but with raisins in it. Not as many as in a plain raisin pie, but enough to add a delicious and unique flavor to the pie. You hardly ever see this pie either; and I actually only remember one or two restaurants that ever even made it.
Haha @Joe Riley it's been ages since I've heard that expression. @Yvonne Smith that sour cream raisin pie sounds lovely. I am a big fan of custard anything, and if it has that consistency, it sounds as if I'd really enjoy it. I might have to look for a recipe. O.k., I'm seeing 3 right off the bat, and one has meringue on top. I'll have to look them all over and figure out which I want to try. Did the one you've had have meringue? By the way, I love avocados, too, and I think you're probably right.
I've come across the term mincemeat but as an idiom to mean easy way of defeating an opponent or enemy. So that means mincemeat is actually a mixture of fruits? But I don't see any meat in the ingredients. But anyway, what's in a name? I would love to sample that pie of yours because I can imagine the taste of raisins and apple. With the candied orange rind, it would seem like a fruit cake to me. I'm not fond of fruit cake but it's good to eat once in a long while.
Mince pies were always - and still are - a very traditional Christmas food in Britain. Being a vegetarian that doesn't celebrate Christmas, it's a very long time since I had one (there may be animal fat-free versions you can get now, but I'm sure I can manage).
I think that most of the mince meat or mincemeat pies that you can buy today would not have any meat in them at all, and are just a fruit and spice mixture. Originally, mincemeat may have come from the american Indians, who made a mixture of beaten fruit and meat that they called pemmican. They driied this and carried it along when they traveled as a a way of nourishment . Early pioneers likewise would have had fruit left over at the end of the season, aaand if they had made wine, then they would have had a lot of leftover grape skins and pulp. Mixing that with the bits of deermeat then made a healthy and delicious dessert, or could have been dried and carried like the Indians did. Here is an excellent webpage that tells of how the original mincemeat pies were made and how they became a Christmas tradition. You will even read about a mincemeat pie made from whale meat, and unusual one for sure ! http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/MincemeatPie.htm