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Mince Pie

A savory pie filling of beef, suet, raisins, currants, citron, sugar, molasses, brandy, wine, orange, spices, and apples.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Mince Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the meat

  1. Boil the beef for three hours, then let it cool.

  2. Remove all fat and gristle, and chop the beef finely.

  3. Chop the beef suet very fine.

Combine and rest

  1. In a large bowl, combine the chopped beef, suet, raisins, currants, citron, sugar, molasses, brandy and wine, orange juice and rind, salt, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

  2. Mix everything well with your hands and let it sit overnight.

Finish and store

  1. When ready to bake, add finely chopped apples equal to the amount of meat and mix well.

  2. Let it stand for an hour.

  3. If not sweet enough, add more sugar and a little wine or brandy.

  4. Store any leftover meat in a jar with a little more brandy, tightly covered to keep air out.

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.

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. Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,057 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Brandy + winetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,427 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  3. Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together6,180 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

  4. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,577 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef
Forms the bulk of the filling, providing body and savory meatiness once cooked and chopped.
Beef suet
Adds fat that keeps the filling moist and rich in texture.
Raisins
Provide sweetness and chewy texture throughout the filling.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps preserve the filling.
Molasses
Contributes dark color, deep sweetness and moisture.
Brandy and wine
Add aroma and act as preservatives that help keep the filling.

The step that matters

Let the mixture rest overnight. Resting lets the spices, fruit, alcohol and meat flavors blend and soften together, so the filling tastes more cohesive. Tasting before baking allows adjustment of sweetness.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, raisin, currant, sugar, molasses, brandy, wine):

  1. Figfits better
  2. Applefits better
  3. Vanillafits about as well
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, raisin, currant, sugar, molasses, brandy, wine. 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.

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