Christmas goodies

MINCEMEAT for Yuletide pies has undergone a few changes over the years. Once upon a time it actually did contain meat.

I have an 1869 edition of Mrs Beeton's book of Household Management and here is her recipe:

Mrs Beeton's Mincemeat

2lbs raisins
3lbs currants
1 1/2lbs lean beef
3lbs beef suet
2lbs moist sugar
2oz citron
2oz candied lemon peel
2oz candied orange peel
1 small nutmeg
1 pottle of apples [a pottle is 4lbs]
the rind of two lemons, the juice of one
1/2 pint brandy

Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them; wash, dry and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care the latter is chopped very fine; slice the citron and candied peel, grate the nutmeg, and pare, core and mince the apples; mince the lemon peel, strain the juice and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when the other things are well blended; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the air, and the mincemeat will be ready for use in a fortnight.

A CENTURY earlier Hannah Glasse in The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy advised "how to make Mince Pies the best Way.‚" Her recipe was similar to Mrs Beeton's but omitted the meat in the early preparation stages. It included "half a hundred of fine Pippins‚" and, in addition to half a pint of brandy, also had a similar amount of Sack - these days we would substitute a sherry for Sack. Mrs Glasse recommended putting the mincemeat "down close in a stonepot and it will keep good four months.‚"

When it came to making her mince pies "the best way‚" she recommended taking a little dish, "something bigger than a soup plate‚" and lining it "with a thin crust all over it.

"Lay a thin layer of meat, and then a thin layer of citron cut very thin, then a layer of mincemeat, and a thin layer of orange peel cut thin, over than a little meat, squeeze half the juice of a Seville orange or lemon and pour in three spoonfuls of red wine; lay on your crust and bake it nicely.

"These pies‚" enthused Mrs Glasse "eat finely cold."

For the meat component, she suggested taking a parboiled neat's tongue (ox tongue), peeling it and chopping the meat as finely as possible, or two pounds of the inside of a sirloin of beef.

FAST FORWARD to the present day. The meat has vanished completely. Even the suet has been discarded by many cooks. The food processor has made short work of the chopping and mincing. Here is mincemeat 21st century style.

Christmas Mincemeat

130g sultanas
100g raisins
100g currants
1 apple peeled, cored and roughly chopped
8 dried apricots, chopped
the zest of one orange
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mixed spice and ground cardamom
3 tablespoons brandy

Place all in a food processor and process until chopped into a chunky consistency. Store in an airtight jar until required.

Spiced Pecans

3 cups pecan nuts
1 egg white
1/4  cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each paprika and ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder

Place the pecans in a bowl and pour over the egg white. Turn the nuts over and over to ensure they are all covered in egg white.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the nuts, stirring well to coat.

Place some baking paper in a roasting dish or lipped cookie sheet and bake at 150C for 30-40 minutes, turning the nuts over three or four times during cooking.

Remove from the oven, cool and store in an airtight container.