Scrumptious Christmas Recipes using Mincemeat

The other day whilst sorting books that had been donated to Cornwall Hospice Care  I picked up a very torn and tatty Woman’s Magazine for December 1935.  It includes an article on recipes including mincemeat so, it being out of copyright, I believe, I am going to pass these on together with some of my own ideas.

Mince Pies

Here is their recipe …

I would make a couple of changes to this; use butter instead of lard and add the finely grated zest (no white pith) to the pastry.  Also they seem to have omitted the brandy from the mincemeat!

Mincemeat Scones

It occurred to me (I’m a slow thinker) that I could make Christmassy scones using my genius scone recipe and some mincemeat.

Why not pin for
future reference?

225g/8oz self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
60g/2½oz cold butter or margarine
25g/1oz caster sugar
80g mincemeat
80ml/3 fl oz milk

~   Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/180C fan/gas 6.

~   Stir together the flour and salt.
~   Add the butter or margarine and “rub in” with your fingers until a breadcrumb texture is achieved.
~   Stir in the sugar once you have finished rubbing in; if you add it earlier it’s uncomfortable on the hands although, of course, it does exfoliate.
~   Add the milk and mix in, by hand is easiest, and then gently mix in the mincemeat. Add a little more milk if too dry or a little more flour if too wet – work just enough to form a soft dough.
~   On a floured surface press or roll the dough out to about 1½cm/½” thick and using a cookie cutter cut into rounds. Or you could cut into squares which are easier and more economical on time: no re-rolling. They look quite good too.
~   Transfer the scones to a greased baking try, brush their tops with a little milk and bake in the oven till risen and golden – about 15 minutes.
~   Transfer to a cooling rack but eat while still warm topped with lashings of clotted cream if possible.

Speaking of Scones and Clotted Cream …

Christmas Cream Tea

Simply replace the jam in a cream tea with mincemeat.  Obviously, the mincemeat goes first topped by the clotted cream – see here for the scientific reasoning behind the jam first theory!

Mincemeat Ice Cream

This is just one of six happily no-churn Christmas Ice Creams I have devised.

Warm Boozy Mincemeat Sauce

This is perfect for ice cream!

180g mincemeat

150g soft light brown sugar

juice and zest of one orange

60ml rum or brandy

~ Gently stir together all the ingredients over low heat till amalgamated and hot. That’s it!

Mincemeat Cheesecake

See here for my basic no-cook cheesecake recipe  and where I mention “something else” add brandy or rum to the mix. Use crushed ginger biscuits instead of digestives and add a layer or two of mincemeat.

On the same page there is also a recipe for a delicious baked cheesecake recipe which would be good topped with the above sauce, but fairly cool!

Christmas Apple Crumble ~ for 3 or 4

4 medium cooking apples – preferably Bramleys
3 tbsp mincemeat
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar

240g plain flour

pinch salt

160g butter

120g soft light brown sugar

~ Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4.
~ Peel and slice the apples into an ovenproof dish.
~ Stir in the mincemeat and the tablespoon of sugar.
~ Rub the butter into the flour together with the pinch of salt then stir in the 120g of sugar.
~ Loosely pile this on top of the apples, level the surface, make a pattern if you feel like it and bake for about 30-40 minutes till the apples have collapsed and are tender and the top is golden brown.

Mincemeat Pinwheels

~ Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/170ºC fan/gas 5 and lightly grease a baking tray.
~ Roll puff pastry into a rectangle.
~ Spread with mincemeat.
~ Roll up the pastry from one long edge, moisten the far edge and seal the roll.
~ Slice the roll, somewhat on the diagonal is good, and lay cut side up (and down!) on the baking tray.
~ Bake till the pastry is crisp and golden – about 20 minutes.

Or try this from Woman's Magazine ...

Eccles Cakes

This looks good to me and is a great way of using up leftover  pastry scraps too!  Here are some more ideas for leftover pastry.

Mincemeat Flapjacks

180g butter

120g mincemeat

30g soft dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

250g porridge oats

~ Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325°F/140ºC fan/gas 3.
~ Grease a 20cm square (or similar) cake tin.
~ Melt together everything but the oats over low heat, stirring occasionally.
~ Stir in the oats and decant the mixture into the cake tin.
~ Bake for about 25 minutes till the top is golden.
~ Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares or bars or whatever.
~ Cool on a rack.

Mincemeat Bread and No Butter Pudding!

This is based on traditional bread and butter pudding but it enough it doesn’t contain butter other than for greasing the pan.  This means you can use random pieces of bread rather than neat slices.

100g-150g stale bread in small chunks

3 tablespoons mincemeat

180ml milk

>100ml double cream
1 tbsp brandy

2 eggs

75g caster sugar

~   Put the bread into a lightly greased ovenproof dish or divide between ramekins.
~    Stir the 3 tablespoons of marmalade to liquefy and then drizzle over the bread. Turn the bread around in it.
~   Whisk together all the other ingredients and pour over pushing the bread under the surface to soak it. Set aside for 30 minutes or more – even overnight will do.
~   Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C/160˚C Fan/gas 4.
~   Bake for about 40 minutes till risen, golden and slightly wobbly when nudged.
~   Sprinkle with sugar or icing sugar.

Serve hot, warm or cold but warm is best.

3 Christmas Breakfast Ideas

1.  Porridge – why not stir some mincemeat (and perhaps a little brandy and cream!) into your porridge, after all it is Christmas.  See here for some more ideas for porridge, suitable for all year.

2.  Yogurt – as above but not sure about brandy and yogurt? Let me know if you try it!

3.  Mincemeat Pancakes 

Here's how to make all sorts of pancakes including how to add things such as mincemeat.

Here is another recipe in the Woman’s Magazine article:

This looks more like an American style pancake recipe to me, so either do what it says above, a gill is about 140ml.

There are several other recipes in the magazine (one of which is no longer politically correct!) but these are the most appealing, I think.

Oh, and see here for Delia’s Mincemeat Soufflés! 

How to Cook your Turkey the Day Before ~ Perfectly!

I have just read on the Huffington Post that, according to a study by the Food Network ...

“cooking Christmas Dinner is so difficult that it takes 47 years (!) to learn how to do it successfully and that a third of women (it doesn’t mention men) never manage to do it properly!”

Well something that will help a lot is – cook as much of it as possible in advance!  This post concerns the turkey and the gravy.  My next post or two will concern other dishes to prepare in advance. 

As a chef, I have cooked and served numerous Christmas (and, as it happens, Thanksgiving) dinners and I always roasted the turkeys the day before.  Also, domestically, time and time again on Boxing Day when eating pretty much the same meal as the day before, people have remarked how it seems so much nicer the second day.

Now I always roast my turkey in advance, not only is it delicious it also means I can get up late and spend a lot of time sitting around opening presents, nibbling things and sipping festive beverages.

I’ll talk you through it.

~  The Turkey  ~

1.   If using a frozen turkey defrost in accordance with the instructions on the wrapper. Completely!!

2.  Cook your turkey on Christmas Eve and start in the morning so that it has plenty of time after cooking to cool before chilling overnight.

3.   Take the fresh or defrosted turkey out of the fridge about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

4.   If the turkey has instructions on the wrapper follow them!

5.   If your turkey has not provided cooking times and instructions see here. 

6.   If there is a bag of giblets inside the turkey remove it. You can either throw it away or simmer the contents in water to make a light stock to add to the gravy. (When I was in the West Indies I seasoned and roasted all the turkey necks and the girls in the kitchen would fight over them – a local delicacy!)

7.   Don’t bother washing it; it is a messy job and cold contaminate your kitchen. Any bacteria will be killed by cooking.

8.   Don’t stuff it!  If you stuff the turkey that will add to the weight and the cooking time; two inconveniences, you don’t need. The stuffing will also cool more slowly than the meat and could be a health hazard. If you cook the stuffing separately it will have a lovely crispy top.

9.   Preheat the oven in accordance with the instructions on the turkey or on the aforementioned website. 

10.   I recommend that you un-truss your turkey, i.e. remove any string or whatever holding the legs together and make it assume the position with legs spread wide.  This way it will not only cook faster and more evenly but it will also result in more crispy skin.  See below for info on crisp skin.

11.   Dry the breasts and rub with a little oil, you can use butter; it is tasty but the skin will be softer and more prone to burning. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and maybe other seasonings if you like; herbs, spices etc. 

12.   Season inside the cavity and if you wish put in half a lemon, wedges of onion or  fresh herbs.

13.   Cover loosely with foil and cook in accordance with instructions.

14.   Take the foil off about 45 before the estimated end of cooking to allow the breast to brown.

Is it Done Yet?

I don’t think the pop-up timers that some turkeys come with are reliable so instead …

~   If you have a meat thermometer the bird is cooked when it reached 70^oC/160^oF and incidentally here’s an interesting point, the temperature will actually rise for a short while after taking it out the oven.

~   If you don’t have a thermometer then pierce the thigh meat with a sharp knife and see if the juices run clear.  If there is any blood in them, return the turkey to the oven for another 15 minutes then test again. Another indication of doneness is the drumstick should waggle freely at the joint if you move it.

Cooling & Storing the Turkey

~   When the turkey is cooked cover loosely with foil and set aside to cool.

~   After at least an hour cut the legs and breasts from the turkey – if you cut it too soon delicious juices will be lost, after an hour or so they will have been re-absorbed by the meat.

~   Wrap the cold pieces in cling film and arrange in a container that will easily fit in the fridge.

How to Reheat the Turkey

~  Get the meat out of the fridge half an hour or so before reheating.

~   The legs and maybe the wings – arrange on a baking try, skin side up, and roast in a hot oven 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6 for 15-20 minutes to heat through fully and crisp up the skin.

~   The breast meat – there are two ways I would recommend for reheating this meat …

1.   This is the method I use at home when cooking for just a few people.

About 20 minutes before serving bring the gravy (see below for gravy information) just to a boil, turn down the heat and add the sliced breast meat and submerge it in the gravy. Over low heat, watching carefully, return to a simmer. DO NOT allow to boil or the meat will toughen. Cover and set aside.  This way the meat will warm through without the slightest chance of being anything but tender and juicy. Serve the meat from the hot gravy and then, if necessary, reheat the gravy.

2.   Lay the sliced meat in a shallow roasting pan or similar and drizzle with a little turkey broth (that you have made in the roasting pan - see here).  Cover tightly with foil and pop into a hot oven 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6 for 10-12 minutes.

As luck would have it 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6 is the same temperature you will be cooking the roast potatoes.

~   Crispy skin – obviously, the skin on the breasts will have softened overnight so strip it from the meat, cut into as many pieces as you have guests, spread on a baking tray and then a few minutes before serving pop them in a hot oven the crisp up.  Don’t, of course, get any gravy on them when serving or they will immediately go soggy again.

~  How to Make Gravy with a Bonus!  ~

According to the above quoted article in the Huffington Post ...

“10% of people admit to messing up the gravy”

I also read somewhere that 25% of British people would like to see more interesting flavours of gravy and, at the same time, gravy with more authentic ingredients. 

Tricky!

I would suggest making your own gravy and, if you cook your turkey on Christmas Eve you can calmly make the gravy the following morning rather than rush it at the last minute.  Believe me, making gravy is easy, I promise.  See here for how to make wonderful gravy. 

There is an added bonus to making gravy the day after cooking the turkey; instead of carefully pouring the liquid fat from the top of the meat juices, If you have chilled the meat juices left from the day before the fat will have risen and solidified and be so much easier to deal with. 

Dessert ~ incidentally

See here for some incredibly easy, no-churn, delicious Christmas Ice Cream recipes which, obviously, can be made ahead.

To Further Help with Christmas

Catering for Christmas can be time consuming, tiring and a bit stressy, so I thought I'd offer some suggestions to make it quicker, easier, more relaxed and perhaps more impressive. 

Read More Here ~Yule be Glad you Did!

Christmas Food Quiz – with some Delicious Answers!

Here is a little Christmas Quiz I devised with some delicious answers - but don't cheat! 

Christmas Quiz Questions ...

1.  Of which Christmas dish did the Quakers say this?

“an invention of the scarlet whore of Babylon, an hodgepodge of superstition, Popery, the Devil and his works.”

2.  Which alcoholic drink (a perfect accompaniment to Christmas pud, incidentally) may have formed a crust called beeswing?

3.  Which Christmas food should only be eaten between and including Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night? (Tell that to Tesco!)

4.   Which of these is NOT Moose Milk?

a)  A hot rum drink
b)  Liquid that comes out of a mummy moose’s nipples
c)   Ice cream with rum and Kahlua

5.   What can be added to brandy to make Christmas Pud burn even more spectacularly?

6.     Bounceberry is a colloquial name for which Christmassy fruit?

7.    In which classic 19^th century book was a poor family served …

“ice cream – actually two dishes of it, pink and white – and cake and fruit and distracting French bonbons”?

8.     What can be stored alongside Christmas cake to keep it moist?

9.     Which spice is traditionally used to flavour Bread Sauce?

10.   What was formed into the shape of a “husband” and baked in the hope of attracting the real thing?

11.  The Old Norse phrase “ves heill” evolved into which tradition and beverage in Britain?

12.  Which traditional Christmas food can be traced back to a cookbook written in Roman times?

13.  What did confectioner Tom Smith invent in 1846 that is now de rigueur on the British Christmas table?

14. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol who served up the Figgy Pudding?

15. Do sugarplums have anything to do with plums?

16. Which traditional mince pie ingredient is no longer included in modern mince pies?

17.  Just to piss you off – how many calories do you think the average adult Christmas dinner is estimated to contain?

18.  Mince pies are often topped with a star but what was a traditional decoration in days of yore?

19.   Senior Wrangler Sauce is a traditional Christmas sauce at Cambridge University, is it …

   

a) Bread Sauce

b) Cranberry Sauce
c) Brandy Butter
d) Custard

Now, before we get into the answers, and as a way of helping you not to cheat by causing an obstruction, allow me to interrupt this blog to mention my Christmas cookbook Easy Festive Food for a Stress Free Christmas.

Read More Here!

OK ~ the Answers ...

1.   Christmas Pudding.  God knows what they were doing with it!

2.  Port 

As it ages a thin crust forms in the bottle which, when broken, looks like bees’ wings. Seasoned port drinkers handle the bottle carefully so as not to break the beeswing. Incidentally if you happen to have "too much port" here are some good ideas.

3.   Mince Pies 

In fact, you should eat one a day for the 12 days of Christmas. Whilst eating the first one it is recommended that a wish be made for good luck in the coming year.  To make this task less onerous add a little grated orange zest and/or some brandy to the mincemeat before making the pies.  Also, serving with clotted cream might help. To make the magic more powerful it is important that mince pies are eaten in silence.

4.   c) !

Ice cream with rum and Kahlua is not generally referred to as Moose milk. The hot rum drink of this name is amazingly quick, easy, delicious and strangely satisfying.  Moose milk recipe here.

5.   Salt

Mix a goodly pinch of salt into the brandy you intend pouring over the pud.  Warm gently then pour over and proceed to light it.  The result is lovely golden hued flames and a delicious salty kick to the pud.  This is not my idea, I read it in the strange little book reviewed here.  

If you are a bit scared or a bit teetotal stick a sparkler or two into the pudding and light that before bringing it to the table instead!

6.  Cranberries

When ripe cranberries will bounce - just watch here!  This is because they contain small pockets of air so, luckily, they float, which is how they are harvested. It is easy to make your own bounceberry/cranberry sauce – 3 variations in my book.

7.   Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  

See here for 6 Delicious No-Churn Christmas Ice Cream Recipes including this gorgeous Buttered Rum & Ginger Ice Cream.

8.  An Apple

“They do say” that storing an apple in the container with the cake helps to keep it moist. I would suggest replacing the apple (and eating the old one or see here for other ideas for leftover apples) regularly if you do this.

9.   Cloves. 

Personally I dislike cloves but whether you like them or not there is a seriously luxurious and somewhat authentic recipe for bread sauce here.

10.    Gingerbread

Hence Gingerbread men.  The first recorded instance of these chaps is when Elizabeth I had replicas of visiting dignitaries made as gifts but the idea was soon adopted by women willing to try anything (even a delicious biccy) to find a man.  

If you are single your need this ...

Gingerbread Recipe

350g plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
100g butter
175g soft light brown sugar
1 lightly beaten egg
4 tablespoons golden syrup

~   Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/170ºC fan/gas 5.
~   Mix together the first 4 ingredients and then rub in the butter.
~   Stir in the sugar.
~   Add the egg and syrup and mix to a firm dough.
~   Roll out to about the thickness of a gingerbread husband and cut into several pieces the shape of your ideal man.
~   Lay on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes till golden brown.
~   Cool on the tray a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
~   Decorate with icing, ribbons, etc.

Makes approximately 20 biscuits which is surely more than enough husbands for anyone!

11.  Wassail

The original phrase meant “good health” and this is what we wish friends and neighbours as we partake of mulled cider (traditional) or other splendid beverages. 

Mulled Cider Recipe

1½ ltr dry cider (and for my American readers I mean the alcoholic type)
125g soft light brown sugar
12 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
about 2cm fresh root ginger- sliced
1 orange – sliced
1 apple – sliced
a little rum, brandy or, best of all, Calvados – optional

~   Pour half the cider into a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients except the rum.
~   Simmer together gently for about half an hour.
~   Add the rest of the cider, taste and add a little more sugar if necessary, if you do then simmer a few mins to dissolve it.
~   Strain or not, as you wish.
~   Ladle into glasses to which you may, or may not, have added a tot of spirit.

And here's a lovely easy Mulled Wine recipe as an alternative.

12.  Stuffing 

Apicius who lived somewhere around the end of BC and the start of AD. had recipes in his cookbook 'Apicius de re Coquinaria', for stuffed chicken, pig, and dormouse, using vegetables, herbs, nuts, spelt and offal.

Here’s a great adaptable recipe for stuffing using bread and other ingredients – shove it up a dormouse if you like!

13.  Christmas crackers!

14.   Mrs. Cratchit.

15.   Not Really!

In the 17^th century “sugar plum” was a term commonly used to describe a comfit, i.e. a nut seed or spice coated in sugar. Sugared almonds are descendants of these comfits but in earlier times they frequently consisted of sugar coated coriander or caraways seeds! So, in short, the answer is hardly at all – maybe there was the occasional plum in there!

16.  Meat.

Early mince pies not only included fruits, nuts, spices and sugar but also meat, as in this recipe from 1624.  This is reflected by the inclusion of suet in mincemeat today.

I think even pies of indifferent bignesse in those days were quite large – this probably makes about 24 of our  21^st century mince pies.

Pin for easy reference!!

Libra approximates our pound weight and is where the abbreviation lb derives from.

17.  7,000 calories!  

Sorry about that.

18.  The star decoration on mince pies originally represented the Star of Bethlehem but in the past, when pies were often rectangular or oval, suggesting a manger, an image of Baby Jesus was also a popular motif with the top crust being his swaddling clothes.  Must have been quite a challenge for the cook.

19.   Bread Sauce - delicious bread sauce recipe here, you'll have to scroll down a bit.