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Dessert

Mince Meat

A preserved fruit mixture of apples, raisins, currants, candied peel, suet, almonds, spices, and wine.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓

Mince Meat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the apples, raisins, currants, candied peel, suet, lemon rind and juice, blanched almonds, spices, salt, sugar, port wine, and brandy. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Store and mature

  1. Pack the mixture into sealers or a large stone crock.

  2. Let it stand for several weeks before using.

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. Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  2. Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,774 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Port wine + brandytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together127 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  4. Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,070 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  5. Lemon + clovetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,150 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

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

What each ingredient does

Apples
Provide moisture and tart fruit body that softens into the mince.
Suet
Adds fat that keeps the mixture rich and moist and carries flavour.
Raisins
Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture.
Powdered sugar
Sweetens the mixture and helps preserve it during storage.
Brandy
Adds alcohol that aids preservation and a warm aromatic note.
Almonds
Add crunch and nutty richness to the mixture.

The step that matters

Let it stand for several weeks. Resting lets the alcohol, sugar and spices soak into the fruit and fat, blending the flavours. Using it too early gives harsh, disjointed taste.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, raisin, almond, sugar, port wine, brandy, clove):

  1. Figfits better
  2. Vanillafits better
  3. Pearfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against apple, raisin, almond, sugar, port wine, brandy, clove. 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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