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Mince Pies

A historical recipe from The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia Maria Child (1832).

A historical recipe

The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia Maria Child (1832). Project Gutenberg eBook #13493.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Source and licence

From The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia Maria Child (1832). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #13493 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13493). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

Read the original Public domain in the USA

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.

United Kingdom. Associated with United Kingdom by curated dish list: mince pie (confidence 0.75). "Associated with" means only that the evidence named here links this recipe to that place. A recipe isn't labelled as representing an entire country because a source associates it with one, and regional origins are kept where the source gives them.

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Ingredients

Method

  1. Boil a tender, nice piece of beef--any piece that is clear from sinews and gristle;
  2. boil it till it is perfectly tender When it is cold, chop it very fine, and be very careful to get out every particle of bone and gristle.
  3. The suet is sweeter and better to boil half an hour or more in the liquor the beef has been boiled in;
  4. but few people do this.
  5. Pare, core, and chop the apples fine.
  6. If you use raisins, stone them.
  7. If you use currants, wash and dry them at the fire.
  8. Two pounds of beef, after it is chopped;
  9. three quarters of a pound of suet;
  10. one pound and a quarter of sugar;
  11. three pounds of apples;
  12. two pounds of currants, or raisins.
  13. Put in a gill of brandy;
  14. lemon-brandy is better, if you have any prepared.
  15. Make it quite moist with new cider.
  16. I should not think a quart would be too much;
  17. the more moist the better, if it does not spill out into the oven.
  18. A very little pepper.
  19. If you use corn meat, or tongue, for pies, it should be well soaked, and boiled very tender.
  20. If you use fresh beef, salt is necessary in the seasoning.
  21. One ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves.
  22. Two nutmegs add to the pleasantness of the flavor;
  23. and a bit of sweet butter put upon the top of each pie, makes them rich;
  24. but these are not necessary.
  25. Baked three quarters of an hour.
  26. If your apples are rather sweet, grate in a whole lemon.