Mince pies have been eaten at Christmas time in Britain for hundreds of years. Medieval mincemeat in "Old England" was quite different from the mincemeat we're generally familiar with today. Back then it contained as much meat and suet as fruit, and only a touch of sugar. Today traditional mincemeat still contains meat, but fruit is now the dominant ingredient and the sweetening has increased by a large measure. It's now usually made with beef, rather than the medieval mutton. In the north country of New England you'll find it often made with venison and sweetened with maple syrup.

Our version is a typical New England mincemeat. It will make 2 quarts, enough for 2 1/2 to 3 small tarts or three 9-inch pies. The mincemeat is best when it's made several weeks ahead of time to allow the flavors to mature.

These ingredients for mincemeat are by no means written in stone. If some aren't available, substitute what you have on hand or what appeals to your own sense of taste. If you're a vegetarian, you can even leave out the meat.

The important thing when you make this is to surround it with a bit of ceremony. One legend says that everyone needs to stir it once clockwise while it cooks, or while it's "ripening," to bring luck in the New Year.

Mincemeat
1 pound venison or lean beef
1 quart apple cider (or 2 cups cider and 2 cups cranberry juice)
1 cup (11 ounces) maple syrup
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 pound ground suet or 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1/2 pound currants (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
1/2 pound golden raisins (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
1/4 pound fresh cranberries, cut in half (about 2 cups), or 1/2 cup dried cranberries
minced rind and juice of 1 lemon (or orange if you like it less tart)
1/4 cup "spirits"
1 cup (4 ounces) blanched, chopped almonds or other nuts (optional, for crunch)

Pie crust
King Arthur's Pie Crust

To make the mincemeat: Trim the meat if necessary and dice it into small cubes. Pour the cider into a large saucepan or small kettle and add the sweeteners and spices. Add the meat and bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Skim any foam that comes to the top during the first hour of cooking.

After 2 hours, turn off the heat and remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Add the currants, raisins, cranberries and lemon rind and juice to the hot cider/broth mixture. Let these steep while you grind or mince the meat along with the suet, if you're using it.

Return the meat (and suet) to the fruit mixture, bring back to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 1/2 hour. Boil off enough liquid so the mixture is thick.

If you opted not to use suet, melt and blend in the butter at this point.

After the mixture has cooled, add 1/4 cup of "spirits." This may be anything from a maple liqueur to brandy to rum to a hearty red wine. This adds flavor and helps preserve the mincemeat.

Cover and store mincemeat in a cool place for 2 or more weeks if you have time. Give it an occasional stir (clockwise!) and add 2 or 3 more tablespoons of spirits if you wish.

To make a pie: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll half of the dough to a 14-inch circle (or flip your pie pan over on top of the circle you've rolled. If the dough is bigger all around by 2 inches, it's the right size). Fit the dough into your pan, and fill 1 1/2 inches deep with the mincemeat. Roll the remaining dough into a circle and place on top of the filling. Wet the top edge of the bottom crust, pinch the top and bottom together to seal, and flute the edge. Cut a design or several slits in the top of the pie to vent steam. If you like, you can fancy up the top by brushing it with a wash made by beating an egg with a tablespoon of water, then sprinkling the top with coarse sugar.

To make tarts: Roll out your dough and cut the pastry into rounds 5 or 6 inches in diameter, or big enough to fill the cups of a muffin tin, with smaller circles for the tops. Carefully place the larger circles in your muffin tin.

Fill the shells about half full with mincemeat. Moisten the rim of the dough with cold water, place the slightly smaller rounds of the dough on top of the filling and, with a fork or your fingers, press them to the bottom crusts. If you wet the rim of the muffin tin before you press top to bottom, the little pies will come away from the tin more easily after they are baked.

Baking: After you put the pies in the oven, turn the heat down to 375°F and bake the 9-inch pies for about 35 minutes. Bake the tarts for about 20 minutes. If they begin to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to 350°F for the final 5 to 10 minutes. Let the small pies cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.

In this country, we often eat mince pie with vanilla ice cream. In England, it's customary to serve little Christmas pies with cream or Hard Sauce (recipe in next paragraph). When you sit down to eat your pie, think about all the other people over the ages who've done the same and who've joined you in hopes that the year ahead will be as rich as the pie itself.

Hard Sauce is made by combining 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar (or 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar), a teaspoon of vanilla and 2 or 3 tablespoons brandy or rum (to taste). Cover and chill before serving.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 1, November 1991 issue.