Mince Meat for Pies

Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC

(Joy of Baking)

Mince pies date back to medieval times and possibly long before. They are descended from a huge pie baked on Christmas Eve containing chopped beef, suet, nuts, spices and fruit. I can’t believe I’m actually posting a recipe that features tongue as an ingredient. This one’s for you @nitrofd, @mofederal and @Shalom Hobbitess.

Mince Meat for Pies by Minnie C. Fox (1904)

Ingredients:
4 pounds of fresh tongue
3 pounds of suet
8 pounds of chopped apples
3 pounds of currants
4 pounds of seeded raisins
6 pounds of white sugar
2 pounds of citron, cut in small pieces
4 lemons, grated rind and juice
1 ounce of cinnamon
1/4 ounce of cloves
1/4 ounce of allspice
4 nutmegs, grated
1 quart of Madeira wine
1 pint of cider
1 quart of brandy or good whisky


Directions:

Boil the tongue in salted water until tender, and when cold, chop fine.

Remove every particle of membrane from the suet and chop it fine, and mix with the tongue with enough salt to remove the fresh taste.

To this, add the apples, sugar, fruit, spices and other ingredients. Mix all together and cover close.


Note: If too dry when ready for use, moisten with a little sweet cider.


Source: The Blue Grass Cookbook - The complete Blue Grass Cookbook can be found on the Michigan State University website, “Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project” at:

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/
 
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(Joy of Baking)

Mince pies date back to medieval times and possibly long before. They are descended from a huge pie baked on Christmas Eve containing chopped beef, suet, nuts, spices and fruit. I can’t believe I’m actually posting a recipe that features tongue as an ingredient. This one’s for you @nitrofd, @mofederal and @Shalom Hobbitess.

Mince Meat for Pies by Minnie C. Fox (1904)

Ingredients:
4 pounds of fresh tongue
3 pounds of suet
8 pounds of chopped apples
3 pounds of currants
4 pounds of seeded raisins
6 pounds of white sugar
2 pounds of citron, cut in small pieces
4 lemons, grated rind and juice
1 ounce of cinnamon
1/4 ounce of cloves
1/4 ounce of allspice
4 nutmegs, grated
1 quart of Madeira wine
1 pint of cider
1 quart of brandy or good whisky


Directions:

Boil the tongue in salted water until tender, and when cold, chop fine.

Remove every particle of membrane from the suet and chop it fine, and mix with the tongue with enough salt to remove the fresh taste.

To this, add the apples, sugar, fruit, spices and other ingredients. Mix all together and cover close.


Note: If too dry when ready for use, moisten with a little sweet cider.


Source: The Blue Grass Cookbook - The complete Blue Grass Cookbook can be found on the Michigan State University website, “Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project” at:

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/
4 lbs of tongue is a lot.
 
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remove every particle of membrane from the suet and chop it fine, and mix with the tongue with enough salt to remove the fresh taste.

Right now the suet is worrying me more than the tongue! I want to know what "remove the fresh taste" might mean...

I've never had mincemeat anything; I'm thinking I may want to try it before committing to this particular recipe!

Somewhere I have my mothers recipe for green tomato mincemeat. No meat in it at all as I recall. She used to can it. I’ve made it a time or two, but it’s hard to get green maters around here!

Rare is the modern recipe for mincemeat that actually has meat in it. Most of them are some combination of dried and fresh fruits.
 
Yes I am a fan of tongue. I do like the taste. Trying the recipe would probably prove interesting around our house. I know I would eat it for a fact. Removing the fresh taste does bother me, because I have had fresh tongue before and it tasted good to me. It's like hog liver, I definitely want it fresh, about the only way I will eat it.
 
Miss Ellie. Of all of the great foods my family shared during the Christmas Holidays for many wonderful years, the one baked good my grandmother would make that was completely and utterly awful and disgusting was mince meat pie. It is absolutely the worst thing I have ever put into my mouth!!! I am very sorry Ellie but I would rather eat dirt than try that tasteless goo again!!! Actually I still can't get that awful taste out of my mouth after all of this years. Please, I am begging you to stop the insidious recipes with mince meat and tongue, YUK!!! :sick: David.
 
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