Has mincemeat disappeared?

[grasswire]

My elderly aunties were expressing fond memories of mince pie the other day. The server in the dining room of their care center is twenty-something. She had never heard of mincemeat pie. She shudd.ered.

Just out of curiosity, I looked for mincemeat when at Kroger today. Nothing. No mincemeat in the baking aisle, or in the place where holiday specialties are displayed.

Is it gone from common memory?

[polly7]

1. Here, it's easy to find.

My favourite pie ever!

But I do know that at family meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas, a lot of the younger kids don't eat much of it.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Acquired taste? I think I've seen it here and there....but the original recipe

listed in the old Joy of Cooking (which used lard and minced meat!) has been de-meated...seems these days it is all about using fruit (mostly candied).

Not my thing, I think - then again, I've never partaken!

In the same category of Christmas Plum Pudding? A dessert whose time is not now!

(we aim for chocolate things in our house for Christmas dessert!)

[Tien1985]

3. I'm 27

And although when I was little we used to talk about smashing something into mincemeat, I've never actually seen any. I'd have to google it to really know what it was (I'm being lazy at the moment). I assume it's actually what it sounds like, meat all minced into itty bitty pieces or possibly some kind of meat slurry.

[grasswire]

5. used to be made with meat

then with suet.

Now mostly with no meat or suet. Bits of raisins, candied fruits, apples, lots of spices, some booze. Very fragrant.

[Tien1985]

8. The suet kind would

Be gross, but I'd try the other kinds. Although I don't like candied fruits most of the time, I'd be willing to try just to see how it was.

[Staph]

4. My brother-in-law made mince pie for Thanksgiving.

He found the mince meat at the local Kroger's, which has a large international section.

[grasswire]

6. oh maybe it's in the English food area

But it used to be standard. I can see the label on the jar in my mind.

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. I am surprised a fellow hill person (I avoided the other word)

doesn't know how to make mince meat pies. I thank my grandma for passing it on to me. Of course hers consisted of game taken during hunting by grandpa and me, but darn it was something really good and comforting. I know the hunting of game is not acceptable now days but for them, and luckily me it was a way of sustenance.

[grasswire]

7. oh the traditional brand is "None Such"

http://www.nonesuchrecipes.com/purchase.asp

[dem in texas]

10. Nonesuch in Jars and Condensed

Yes, there are people in the world who still like mincemeat pie. I always make on at Christmas. The condensed mincemeat is dry and is great for making cookies,just crumble it up. I have a box of it and will add to oatmeal crispies which I will be making tomorrow.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

11. I made some last Christmas with Borden's Nonsuch Mincemeat

It was much sweeter than I remembered, and no one in my family particularly liked it.

You can make your own. This is from the British Good Food magazine:

Ingredients

250g raisins
375g currants
100ml brandy
zest of 1 lemon, juice of ½
300g shredded suet
250g dark brown sugar
85g chopped mixed peel
½ small nutmeg, grated
1 large Bramley apple, peeled and grated

Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hr until plumped up, then drain and set the brandy aside. Mix all the ingredients together in the order given, then pour in the brandy when everything else is well mixed. Spoon and press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air (the easiest way to sterilise jars is to run them through a dishwasher on its hottest setting). Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Bramleys are a cooking apple, essentially unobtainable in the US. Substitute some other cooking apple, such as Granny Smith or Duchess. I suspect that butter would work in place of suet, or you could try shortening.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I find this, made by Smuckers.

[grasswire]

14. ah, it appears that Smuckers has bought Crosse & Blackwell too.

Smuckers took over Knott's Berry Farm jams and jellies as well.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Interesting -- Crosse & Blackwell was the only brand of mincemeat I knew of (from years back). nt

[Coyote_Bandit]

13. There is a frozen

Mrs. Smith's Mince Pie available here,

[pinto]

16. It was a Thanksgiving, Christmas tradition at my grandmother's table. Haven't seen it since then.

She used lard, some kind of sweetener (brown sugar? molasses?), raisins, apples, citrus, corn starch, iirc. I loved it.

[grasswire]

17. ha!

Found it. At Kroger, but hidden behind a display of something else.

And woo hoo.......in the produce section I found bags of black walnut meats!! I haven't seen black walnuts in stores here for ten years or so.

[japple]

18. I adore mincemeat pie. It was never anything my mother made, but I had it somewhere

along the line and think it is incredibly delicious. Use the recipe on the back of the jar of (Nonesuch). Add nuts. Then, for the pièce de résistance , add a hard sauce made from bourbon or other whiskey, butter, and powdered sugar. You will swoon...

[locks]

19. A long time ago it was truly a beef and pork meat pie

(which I really didn't care for) but I do love Nonesuch mincemeat. I usually add some brandy, more chopped apples, and nuts. The hard sauce is great but whipped cream's the best. World Market carries it.

[grasswire]

20. I LOVE world market.

Don't get there more than a couple of times a year, but Love it. It's such a visual treat -- all the colors and patterns are very cool.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

21. I like World Market too

I can get Bundaberg Ginger Beer, which is my favorite soft drink, and inexpensive olive oil.

[grasswire]

22. hmm, where is that ginger beer made?

I see that Trader Joe's has a new triple ginger brew packaged in individual glass bottles with an old-fashioned top. I've been planning to try that.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

23. Australia

See http://www.bundaberg.com/info/home/