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A period dish

Mince Pie

A spiced pie of chopped meat, suet, apples, and dried fruit, made at Christmas and kept for weeks.

Serves 8

Mincemeat began as a way to preserve meat with sugar, spice, and spirits, and the pies were made in quantity for the holidays. The American version often used apples and cider and cut back on the meat.

Ingredients

Produce

  • 4 apples

Meat & Poultry

  • 1 lb beef
  • 1/2 lb suet

Bakery

  • 2 pie crust

Pantry / Durable

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup currants
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Spices & Seasoning

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cloves

Other

  • 1 cup cider

Method

  1. Chop the beef, suet, and apples fine and mix them with the dried fruit and sugar.

  2. Add the cider, spices, and a pinch of salt and stir everything together.

  3. Let the mixture stand for a day so the flavors mingle.

  4. Fill the pastry shells, cover with a top crust, and seal the edges.

  5. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles.

Adapted from American Cookery. View a published recipe at NYT Cooking (opens in a new tab)

Served at

A salon at Braintree · Braintree, Massachusetts

The young Frenchman's supper · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania