Mincemeat BBF Oct 2019 - use?

[Peridot1]

Would you use or not?

Assuming it's frozen, it likely has freezer burn. If not, it might not make you sick but it still wouldn't that very nice...

Do you mean mincemeat as in filling for mince pies or minced meat?

If it's mincemeat then providing it takes okay I'd use it - might need more booze adding.

A jar of mincemeat yes I would. Minced beef, lamb etc no I wouldn’t.

Tastes, not takes

As above, if you mean minced beef, no, it won't be nice.

Sorry should have been clearer!

It’s a jar of mincemeat!

I usually just say mince for minced beef etc.

Meat that’s been minced in a jar? Never heard of it.

@Antonov

Meat that’s been minced in a jar? Never heard of it.

It’s not actual meat! It’s mincemeat which is dried fruits used to make Xmas mince pies.

@Peridot1 it’ll be fine, just taste it first. There are tons of elements in there that would preserve the flavour, like sugar and spices.

@Antonov it's not actually meat. It's minced dried fruit. It comes from when the word meat simply refered to all food. Whereas now, due to semantic narrowing, meat only refers to animal flesh.

That’s what I thought @JingsMahBucket. I’ll drown in in a bit more brandy!

I see, fruit pies! The fruit is dried then minced up first to preserve it. Sounds a bit like jam, in which case it should be fine.

It's nothing like jam and is made in a different way, although it does contain fruit.

Marmalade then? Not quite jam but similar and very fruity. Google says candied fruit, so I assume it’s from USA originally?

I’ve used equally ‘matured’ mincemeat - probably with a soupçon of brandy added. Perfectly fine.

AFAIK mincemeat did once contain meat - the vestiges of that lie in the suet of a traditional recipe.

It’s definitely fruit @Antonov but not like either jam or marmalade. It’s very traditional for Xmas in the UK and Ireland. It’s a much heavier mix. Made with dried fruits, spices and suet/butter. Used to fill pies called mince pies which are generally only eaten around Christmas time. Although my grandmother used to make them all year round if she had pastry to use up.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/home-made-christmas-mincemeat

This is a recipe for one by a British cook - Delia Smith.

It'll be fine if it's not been opened yet. If it had been opened check it first but most likely it'll be ok.

Soon be mince pie season again

@Antonov (love the name) have you never had a mince pie?!!!

[quote myhobbyisouting]@Antonov (love the name) have you never had a mince pie?!!! [/quote]
If you’re not British and not living in the U.K. then they may well be a mystery to you.

If it's not mouldy when you open it it will be fine. I'd add an extra slug of brandy for good luck though!

@Antonov mincemeat is made from dried fruit rather than candied fruit with the addition of suet - a type of hard fat - and alcohol. It is cooked at a moderate temperature for several hours, without the alcohol, which is added afterwards or it would evaporate.

In the UK marmalade is jam made from citrus fruits boiled with sugar to 105 degrees C. I.e. it is a specific kind of jam.

Ah Yes, that Delia recipe makes sense. I can see how it must have evolved - maybe once pork, apple and suet. Pork and apple is very English and French. But these days the pork is left out, maybe it evolved to be a 100% sweet dish.

But confusing initially, like my first beef and Yorkshire pudding, now that was an eye opener.

Ah this thread is making me smile ,I suppose unless you are familiar with British mincemeat it is difficult to explain what exactly it is 😂

Tudor mince pies contained 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the Disciples, and were made with mutton or lamb to represent the shepherds and spices for the Wise Men.

Tudor gingerbread was made from grated bread, honey, ginger and a lot of black pepper (an acquired taste!).