That was the theme of this Christmas for me this year. Everything was quite English. Mom got me a years worth of tea, two teapots, a box filled with treats including turkish delight, mince pies and a figgy pudding (!) and more than half a dozen books. Then we went and visited my uncle and family and the theme continued with my very own Teatantic, lavender tea, biscuits, a Tardis mug and a table runner made by my aunt that featured British fabric on one side and Paris on the other! I also got a couple of kitchen tools to help me make cupcakes, which I am taking as a not so subtle hint that the people are clambering for more!
I did overfill my days up to Christmas as usual and thanks to some inspiration from my December issue of Country Homes and Interiors (I mean, look at that cover! Isn't the whole thing inspiring?!) we decided to make our own mincemeat for pies this year! After searching through many traditional recipes that called for suet (yeah, the stuff we Americans feed to birds in the winter) I found a one that didn't have any and was cranberry based. What's more Christmas-y than cranberries? So Mom and I tried this one by Nigella Lawson and it didn't seem to bad. It set up nicely and was the consistency you're usually looking for in mince pies.
But when Mom gave it a whiff the next morning she wanted something that smelled more like the mincemeat she's used to from the jar. Something with apple. Enter Mary Berry! I'd say she's something like Martha Stewart in Britain, though mostly food and not so much crafting. Her mincemeat recipe subbed butter for the suet, because really fat is fat, just choose your favorite. Now that was a recipe Mom could get behind. There was of course plenty of tweaking, so with no further ado....
Cindy's Apple Mince Pie Filling
4 cups diced apples (Pippin or Jonagold or your favorite pie apple)
2 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 1/4 cups raisins
1 cup Craisins
2 mandarin oranges or clementines, zest and juice
1/2 cup butter (one stick), cut into cubes
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp corn syrup (lite or regular)
2 Tbsp brandy
1/4 cup dark rum
1 cup water
Put the apples, raisins, golden raisins, Craisins, orange zest and juice and butter in a large pot. Heat gently over medium heat while stirring until the butter is melted. Add water, sugars and spices and stir to combine. Add corn syrup and starch and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until the apples are cooked through and soft and the mixture is thickened. Add more water to prevent burning as needed, but add it tablespoon by tablespoon. Remove from heat and let cool. Add brandy and rum once cooled and mix well. You can put the mixture in jars with lids and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To use in pies or tarts just make or buy your favorite pie dough and bake accordingly.
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| Cranberry Mincemeat to the left, Mom's Mincemeat to the right |
We of course shared them with all the family that we got to see at my uncle's the day after Christmas. I had also wanted to make some chocolate cookies with peppermint Hershey kisses stuck in the top, but ran out of time the day before. So I took all the ingredients down with me, printed out this recipe and baked them there! They were quite a hit and because my uncle is allergic to eggs I subbed yogurt for the eggs (about a spoonful and a half). Couldn't tell the difference in my opinion and they were delicious!
I did get to end my holiday sitting around, watching movies and Doctor Who and knitting, which is exactly how I wanted to spend it. Hope your holidays were enjoyable!
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