MINCEMEAT - Perseverance Pie
(real mincemeat pie recipe!)
Filling:
2 lbs. lean beef in 2 inch or smaller chunks (or ground beef)
1 lb. suet
4 cups currants or raisins or half and half
2 cups chopped citron
6 cups unpeeled, chopped cooking apples (about 6)
8 cups sugar
1 pint molasses
1 pint cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
Salt to taste
Generous 1/2 cup Grant's 8 Scotch (after all it was their ad I saw in the NY Times magazine section over 35 years ago.)
Instructions:
Cook beef in salted water until tender. Remove from bones and grind in food chopper (or cheat as I do and use ground beef). Grind suet and citron. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Place in large baking dish in roaster containing 2 inches of water. Bake in very slow oven, 200 degrees (or use same setting on electric roaster) for 4 hours (or until apples are tender). Stir often. Taste the Scotch. After mixture has cooled to completion, add Grant's 8 Scotch. Mixture will be quite dark in color. Place in crocks when cool and refrigerate for about 3 weeks. Makes enough for about five 9 inch pies.
When ready for Perseverance Pie, place filling in unbaked pie shell. Top filling with latticework. Bake at about 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until crust is golden.
To serve flambé, ignite 1/4 cup warmed Grant's 8 Scotch in long-handled container and pour over pie.
Whiskey Butter Topping:
Cream together:
1 stick sweet butter
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoons Grant's 8 Scotch
After the flame has died, decorate pie with whiskey butter run through a cake decorator. Or forget the cake decorator and give each pie a generous gob.
I have several dessert wines to choose from. I'm so excited!
