Mincemeat showdown

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Mincemeat showdown
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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 11:28 am Post subject:
No suet? You must be able to get the fat from around the kidneys, musn't you?

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 11:30 am Post subject:
It's in the bottom of the oven now on the lowest setiing in a glass oven proof dish loosley covered with foil, Is that ok? and can I also put my jars in to sterelise at the same time? You can tell I've done this before Thanks folk's

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 11:53 am Post subject:

I do mine by the delia method too (well this year and last year, which is the first time I've done it!) Last time I did hampers with homemade jam, mincemeat, lemon curd, homemade chocolates, gingerbread houses, christmas cake and pud, in two people sized portions, for my ancient set of grans and aunts. I packed them in straw, in baskets, and sprinkled cinnamon and cloves in the straw, and added dried orange slices, and wrapped the whole lot in cellophane. tied with Christmas ribbon, I was very pleased with the results, as were most of the recipients, who have requested encores this year (probably fed up with padded coat hangers and hankies!) This year I plan to add some more savoury stuff (its supposed to be a sort of Christmas tea in a box) and little bottles of sloe gin. I'm thinking of oatcakes, boozy potted cheese and pate.

I've also made a tradition of having steak and kidney pudding when I do the Christmas baking, as it uses up the leftover stout and suet. I like starting traditions of my own!

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 12:24 pm Post subject:
Just had a look after 1-1/2 hours and the suet does'nt seem to be melting? Should it be melting by now PANIC

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 7:50 pm Post subject:
Stewy - this reply is probably too late, but the bottom of the oven on the lowest setting sounds too cool to melt suet, though right for warming the jars. Hope it turned out alright.

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 8:26 pm Post subject:
It looks and smells lovely, I moved it to the middle of the oven and that done the trick and it's now jarred Thanks all for the help X PS The girlfriend now wants to make some marshmallows

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 10:27 pm Post subject:
Just a quicky, How long before I can start making me pies We made the mincemeat on Nov 13th

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 11:05 pm Post subject:
Any time you like. It's probably a bit late at night now.

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 05 8:53 pm Post subject:
Well, I must say they taste bloody fantastic if I do say so myself........

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 05 10:35 am Post subject:
They look great, too - like proper mince pies ought to. And going by the size of the Kilner jars in the previous pic, there's plenty of mincemeat left to make loads more pies.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 05 10:43 am Post subject:

Ooh, glad this has come up again, I made a treacle tart at the weekend (it seems to have disappeared

) and used the left over pastry to try out some of Gil's mincemeat as a kind of mincemeat pasty. Not actually Gil's mincemeat, that would be a bit disturbing, not to mention the horrific food miles. But Gil's recipe. Simple, see?

And very nice it was too, rather less sweet than others I've had which is a good thing in mince pies. I made half the recipe, but wasn't very careful with the brandy measurement so I think we'll call these Bugs' Finest

. Must admit to having panic attacks that something nasty would grow on it* because it wasn't cooked (I did sterilise the jars) but we ate said pasty on Saturday and we're still here now...

*basically, Cab and Dougal give me nightmares

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 05 10:44 am Post subject:
Not too sure about the other mix, but my superior, luxury, traditional, quality recipie makes 1.5 litres which should last me about 48 pies. As such, I've got another batch prepared.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 05 11:09 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

used the left over pastry to try out some of Gil's mincemeat as a kind of mincemeat pasty. But Gil's recipe.
And very nice it was too, rather less sweet than others I've had which is a good thing in mince pies.

Glad you liked it.

Bugs wrote:

Must admit to having panic attacks that something nasty would grow on it* because it wasn't cooked (I did sterilise the jars) but we ate said pasty on Saturday and we're still here now...

I've never had a problem with that - I think that it keeps OK even though not cooked because of the amount of sugar in the dried fruit, and the alcohol. Possibly also the lemon juice.

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