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Preserve

Mince Pies, Plain

A spiced mixture of beef, suet, fruit, cider and molasses, packed in jars and used to fill mince pies.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Clarke, Mary Lamson. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Mince Pies, Plain

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Boil the cider with the molasses and scald the mixture.

  2. Pack down in jars.

  3. Pour a little brandy on top.

  4. When used, add six cups apple and stoned raisins ad lib.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

489Calories
27 gProtein
16 gFat
61 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Cidernot in our table0
Fruitnot in our table0
Coffeenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Clarke, Mary Lamson. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  3. Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Cider + appletop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,238 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  5. Cinnamon + appletop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cider
Provides the liquid base that carries the spices and fruit together.
Suet
Adds richness and fat, giving the mincemeat a moist, smooth texture.
Molasses
Adds dark sweetness and depth of flavour.
Apple
Adds moisture, tartness and body to the filling.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps preserve the mixture.

The step that matters

Scalding the cider and molasses mixture. Heating the liquid well blends the flavours and helps the mixture keep before it is packed into jars. Letting it cool properly before packing also helps prevent spoilage.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cider, cinnamon, clove, coffee, beef, sugar, nutmeg):

  1. Vanillafits about as well
  2. Applethe original
  3. Figfits about as well
  4. Raisinfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against cider, cinnamon, clove, coffee, beef, sugar, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More mincemeat recipes

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