METHODIST MINCEMEAT
Instructions:
- Why eat mincemeat? It is a symbol of Christmas luxury, and therefore deeply embedded in religious sensibilities, at least in the English-speaking world. Rather than reject it on grounds of high church decadence, the object of some Protestant groups became to reform it, that is, to bring it in line with their shifting religious values. This reform was undertaken on two fronts, although they overlapped considerably. One was to eliminate alcohol, the other was to abjure the “carnal kitchenâ€â€”the consumption of meat. Temperance and vegetarianism come together in the following workingclass version of Christmas luxury purified of sin.—Ed. Yield: one 9-inch pie or 12 tartlets
- Short crust
- 1 large lemon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1â„2 cup brown sugar
- 11â„2 cups dried currants
- 3 large apples
- 1â„3 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1â„4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1â„2 cup chopped candied citron
- Line the pie pan or tartlet pans with short crust. Remove the pithy membranes from the lemon and cut the rind into quarters. Place the rind on a saucepan and cover with boiling water.
- Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rind is tender. Strain, reserve the lemon rind, and discard the bitter water. Chop the rind very fine in a food processor.
- Preheat the oven to 350oF (210oC). Melt the butter in a deep stewing pan, add the sugar and currants and cover. Stew the currants until they are plumped.
- Pare, core, and chop the apples, and add them to the currants together with the chopped lemon rind, the lemon juice, and the spices. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the citron and remove from the stove.
- When the filling is cool enough to work with, fill the pie shells and cover each with a top crust. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 to 30 minutes; the tartlets will bake in about 20 minutes.