ENGLISH MINCEMEAT

 

Christmas (or Yule-tide) is getting closer everyday and although this year it falls on a Saturday meaning that some of us might not have a longer weekend, most people will want to celebrate this day in a very festive way. No matter if you are not Christian or if the commercial misuse of this event disgust you or puts you off, I guess that like me, you'll nonetheless want to cook or bake something fine for the occasion and will want to do some extreme cocooning...

As I miss England and feel awfully nostalgic when thinking about my second country (I am lucky and proud to have dual nationality and beserker ancestors - Swiss and English) I thought that it would be a great idea to make it a british Xmas this year and eat foods that would remind me of my beloved roots. So in 2010, I will be serving turkey with stuffing (sage & onion) and it's accompaniment (Brussel sprouts with chestnuts & bacon, buttery mashed tatties and gravy). To make it even the more British than it is already, we'll have "Mince Pies" for dessert - an exquisite treat that I have alaways loved as a kid and have been craving since a while.

After having received my Christmas issues of Delicious, Good Food and Jamie Magazine there was no reason I was not going to make my own "Mincemeat". All three magazines offer wonderful recipes for this amazing speciality which originates from Great Britain and can be traced back to the end of Middle Ages (circa the 15th century).

During this epoch finding a method of storing food was of the highest importance and many ways had been developped (pickling, jarring, curing, spicing, etc...). So, initially "Mincemeat" began as a way to preserve food therefore that paste-like mixture can be kept for quite a while (1 month and depending on the kind of fat used, for up to a year).

This brown colored, fruity (apple, raisins, currants, sultanas, candied peel, oranges & lemons), richly spiced ( mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg), boozy (rum) filling enriched with fat (lard, suet or butter) is used in the confection of "Mince Pies" that are traditionally baked for Christmas or Easter (eaten all year long too).

It is very interesting to note that our modern era "Mincemeat" is quite different from the one which was prepared until the 19th century. The original preparation was made with beef, lamb, venison or heart which was finely minced and mixed to suet, dried fruits, citrus peel, alcohol and spices, hence the name it carries. Although this version is now unusual and quite rare to find, some families still perpetuate the tradition.

Although I've eaten my share of "Mince Pies" in the past, this is my first homemade "Mincemeat" and I must say that the result surpasses my expectations by far. Without trying to boast too much, I must recognize that mine is exactly the way it should be and tastes perfect. It has a fresh, tangy, frangrant, fruity, heady, delicately nutty, divinely spicy, well-balanced flavor and isn't too sweet nor sickly. Very Xmassy and so festive.

~Mincemeat ~
Recipe adapted from "Delicious" magazine, December 2010.

Enough to fill 4 jam jars.

Ingredients:
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 large organic lemons
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 large organic oranges
1 Large (about 300g) Boskoop apple (or Bramley apple)
80g Unsalted butter
20g Lard
70ml Dark rum
200g Raisins
150g Sultanas
150g Currants
100g Candied Orange peel, chopped
50g Candied lemon peel, chopped
1 1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground ginger
1/2 Tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 Tsp Mixed spice
175g Light muscovado sugar
60g Lightly toasted almonds, chopped

Method:
1. Put the orange and lemon zest and juices into a biggish pan.
2. Peel, quarter and core the apple. Grate it and add it to the pan. Stir into the juices so that it doesn’t discolour.
3. Add the butter, lard, rum, dried fruits, candied peels and spices. Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 1 hour until the apple has broken down, the dried fruits are plump and all the liquid has evaporated.
4. Let cool, then add the sugar and the toasted almonds. Mix well.
5. Spoon into cool, sterilised jam jars, press a waxed disc firmly onto the surface of the mixture and seal.
6. Put in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.

Remarks:
Instead of using dark rum, you can use calvados, sherry, brandy or whisky.
You can replace the almonds by hazelnuts or any other roasted nut of your choice (not traditional but ok).
Mincemeat flavors develop over time, so make in several weeks in advance of the holidays.
If you want you mincemeat to have a longer shelf life, then omit the butter and stir in 100g shredded suet at the end (don't add 20g lard at the beginning), along with the sugar and almonds. In that way your mincemeat will keep for up to a year in a cool dark place.
It freezes well too – for up to 6 months.

Serving suggestions:
Make "Mince Pies" using your homemade "Mincemeat".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Mincemeat ~
Recette adaptée du magazine "Delicious", Décembre 2010.

Pour 4 pots à confiture.

Ingrédients:
Le zeste et jus de 2 citrons bio
Le zeste et jus de 2 oranges bio
1 Grosse (300g) Pomme boskoop (pomme goûteuse pour compote)
80g de Beurre non-salé
20g de Saindoux
70ml de Rhum foncé
200g de Raisins
150g de Sultanines
150g de Raisins blonds
100g d'Orangeat en cube
100g de Citronnat en cubes
1 1/2 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1 CC de Gingembre en poudre
1/2 CC de Noix de muscade fraîchement moulue
3/4 CC de Mixed spice (voir remarques pour recette)
175g de Sucre "muscovado"
60g d'Amandes torréfiées et hachées

Méthode:
1. Mettre les zestes et jus d'orange et de citron dans une assez grande casserole.
2. Peler, nettoyer et couper en quartiers la pomme, puis la râper et la mélanger au jus dans la casserole.
3. Ajouter le beurre, le saindoux, le rhum, les fruits secs, l'orangeat, le citronnat et les épices, puis cuire (avec couvercle) endant 1 heure à basse température en mélangeant régulièrement jusqu'à ce que la pomme se soit désintégrée, que les raisins soient imbibés et que le jus se soit évaporé.
4. Laisser refroidir, puis ajouter les amandes et le sucre.
5. Remplir des pots à confiture stérilisés et recouvrir le mincemeat avec un rond de papier sulfurisé. Fermer les pots.
6. Conserver le mincemeat au frigo pendant 1 mois maximum.

Remarques:
Au lieu d'utiliser du rhum, vous pouvez prendre du calvados, du whisky, du sherry ou du brandy.
Les amandes peuvent être remplacées par des noisettes ou les noix de votre choix - au préalable torréfiées (pas traditionnel mais ok).
Le mincemeat développe toute sa saveur avec le temps, alors prenez bien soin de le confectionner quelques semaines avant les fêtes.
Si vous voulez garder votre mincemeat encore plus longtemps, alors omettez le beurre et remplacez-le par du saindoux râpé que vous ajouterez à la fin avec le sucre et les amandes. De cette manière vous pourrez le conserver une année au frais et dans un lieu sombre.
Il se congèle aussi très bien – 6 mois maximum.
Pour obtenir le mélange d'épices "Mixed Spice", mélanger ensemble 1 CS de tout épice en poudre, 1 CS de cannellle en poudre 1 CS de noix de muscade moulue,
2 CC de macis en poudre, 1 CC de clous de girofles moulus, 1 CC de Coriandre en poudre et 1 CC de gingembre en poudre.

Idées de présentation:
Confectionner des "Mince Pies" avec votre "Mincemeat".