Eliza Acton's Mincemeat is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a Eliza Acton's own mincemeat made from a blend of fruit and spices preserved in brandy and enriched with chopped beef. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Eliza Acton's Mincemeat.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
MINCEMEAT.
(Author's Receipt.)
To one pound of unsalted ox-tongue, boiled tender and cut free from the rind, add two pounds of fine stoned raisins, two of beef kidney suet, two pounds and a half of currants well cleaned and dried, two of good apples, two and a half fine Lisbon sugar, from half to a whole pound of candied peel according to the taste, the grated rinds of two large lemons, and two more boiled quite tender, and chopped up entirely, with the exception of the pips, two small nutmegs, half an ounce of salt, a large teaspoonful of pounded mace, rather more of ginger in powder, half a pint of brandy, and as much good sherry or Madeira. Mince these ingredients separately, and mix the others all well before the brandy and the wine are added; press the whole into a jar or jars, and keep it closely covered. It should be stored for a few days before it is used, and will remain good for many weeks. Some persons like a slight flavouring of cloves in addition to the other spices; others add the juice of two or three lemons, and a larger quantity of brandy. The inside of a tender and well-roasted sirloin of beef will answer quite as well as the tongue.
Of a fresh-boiled ox-tongue, or inside of roasted sirloin, 1 lb.; stoned raisins and minced apples, each 2 lbs.; currants and fine Lisbon sugar, each 2 1/2 lbs.; candied orange, lemon or citron rind, 8 to 16 oz.; boiled lemons, 2 large; rinds of two others, grated ; salt, 1/2 oz.; nutmegs, 2 small ; pounded mace, 1 large teaspoonful, and rather more of ginger; good sherry or Madeira, 1/2 pint; brandy, 1/2 pint.
Obs.—The lemons will be sufficiently boiled in from one hour to one and a quarter.
Modern Redaction
The use of meat in mincemeat may strike us as odd (the only animal product used today being suet), but mincemeats evolved in Medieval times as mixes of venison (often offal [noumbles]) and fruit baked in grand pies. This tradition of using meat in mincemeat continued until Victorian times and, in fact, the addition of a little minced steak to the basic mincemeat mixture lifts the flavour remarkably and I have never had mince pies made with this mincemeat refused. This must be good, as Mrs Beeton gives a variant of it in her book. I would add suet here (Eliza Acton did not) as this improves the quality on baking.
Ingredients:
200g minced steak
250g shredded suet
450g seedless raisins
450g grated apples
675g currants
300g dark brown sugar
375g brown sugar
300g candied peel, chopped
zest of 2 large lemons
2 lemons boiled until tender (about 40 minutes) and finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp salt
2 small nutmegs, finely grated
1 tsp ground mace
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
250ml good sherry or Madeira
300ml brandy
Method:
Mix the meat and fruit together. Scatter over the spices then mix with your hands until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour over the wine and brandy and mix once again.
Pack the resultant mixture into jars then pour over a little brandy to ensure that no air can get to the surface of the mincemeat. Secure the lids then set aside in the refrigerator to mature from 3 days to 10 days before use.
