Memorable Mincemeat

This old-fashioned mincemeat is the real thing: a rich, spiced fruit filling built on suet, currants, raisins, grated apples, and candied citron, all bound together with brown sugar and a trio of cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. No actual meat, despite the name. The suet provides the rich, waxy body that holds everything together.

The whole batch simmers for just five minutes. Unlike some mincemeat recipes that cook for hours, this one relies on the suet melting into the fruit and the spices blooming in the heat. Fresh lemon and orange zest and juice brighten the heavy sweetness and keep it from tasting one-note.

Grate the apples on the coarse side of a box grater. Fine grating turns them into mush during cooking, but coarse shreds hold their shape and add texture between the dried fruits.

Chef Tips

• Ask your butcher for beef kidney suet if you want the traditional version. Butter works as a substitute but produces a softer, less structured filling.
• Make this at least a week before you plan to bake with it. Like fruitcake, mincemeat improves as it sits and the flavors meld.
• Can it in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes if you want shelf-stable jars that keep for up to two years. Otherwise, freeze in pie-sized portions.
• Stir in a generous splash of brandy or rum after cooking for an even more traditional British flavor.

Variations

• Use dark raisins or golden raisins in place of currants for a slightly different sweetness.
• Swap mace for ground cloves as the recipe suggests for a spicier, more pungent profile.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans when using this as a pie filling for extra crunch.