WineLovers Discussion Group

MINCEMEAT - Perseverance Pie
(real mincemeat pie recipe!)
Filling:
2 lbs. lean beef in 2 inch or smaller chunks (or ground beef)
1 lb. suet
4 cups currants or raisins or half and half
2 cups chopped citron
6 cups unpeeled, chopped cooking apples (about 6)
8 cups sugar
1 pint molasses
1 pint cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
Salt to taste
Generous 1/2 cup Grant's 8 Scotch (after all it was their ad I saw in the NY Times magazine section over 35 years ago.)
Instructions:
Cook beef in salted water until tender. Remove from bones and grind in food chopper (or cheat as I do and use ground beef). Grind suet and citron. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Place in large baking dish in roaster containing 2 inches of water. Bake in very slow oven, 200 degrees (or use same setting on electric roaster) for 4 hours (or until apples are tender). Stir often. Taste the Scotch. After mixture has cooled to completion, add Grant's 8 Scotch. Mixture will be quite dark in color. Place in crocks when cool and refrigerate for about 3 weeks. Makes enough for about five 9 inch pies.

When ready for Perseverance Pie, place filling in unbaked pie shell. Top filling with latticework. Bake at about 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until crust is golden.

To serve flambé, ignite 1/4 cup warmed Grant's 8 Scotch in long-handled container and pour over pie.

Whiskey Butter Topping:
Cream together:
1 stick sweet butter
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoons Grant's 8 Scotch

After the flame has died, decorate pie with whiskey butter run through a cake decorator. Or forget the cake decorator and give each pie a generous gob.

Howie Hart wrote:My youngest son, Pete, gets out of the Army this Monday and should be home by next weekend (driving from WA). This will be the first holiday all my boys will be civilians since 2003 and we can all have great meal together.

Carrie L. wrote:...Btw, I've never had mincemeat pie. Not sure if I would like it or not. I kinda wish someone I knew someone who would make it so I could try a bite...

Silver Queen corn

Howie Hart wrote:I don't know why so many folks almost seem afraid to try it. You can't really taste the meat - it seems more of a mouthfeel thing. It's a lot like apple pie, but with raisins and a lot of spices, and the color is much darker. It's one of my favorite pies - right up there with blueberry, peach and pecan.

David Creighton wrote:i've done a lot of research on mince pie. a couple of things seem odd here. one is how little alcohol is involved. for about the same size recipe i would use 2 cups spirits(NOT scotch; but rather brandy or dark rum) and an additional 2 cups madeira. made this way, it will last nearly forever. most recipes call for mixed candied fruit not just citron. i'd use more spices - adding allspice, cardamon and mace. the vinegar is a fairly common variant that i've never used. you can also consider other meats: venison, duck, even organ meats(then called humble pie)

David M. Bueker wrote:We're talking turkey matches in Wine Focus right now. Stop by...here

David Creighton wrote:a couple of things seem odd here. one is how little alcohol is involved. for about the same size recipe i would use 2 cups spirits(NOT scotch; but rather brandy or dark rum) and an additional 2 cups madeira.