MINCEMEAT: History & Recipe for Chocolate Mincemeat Pie!

There's something very odd about the notion of mincemeat pie, but it's all in the name. For many, Mincemeat Pie is a holiday tradition. My sister's Mother-in-Law always made mincemeat pies for the holidays, so when I saw this Retro Advertisement with a tip from Elsie, the Borden Cow, I just had to post it. And, here's a little history on Mincemeat Pies -- and a recipe for individual Chocolate Mincemeat Pies!

What exactly is mince meat? Mincemeat (one word or two) is a mixture of currants, raisins, sugar, apples, candied citrus peel, spices, and suet, typically baked in a pie. No meat, minced or otherwise.

History of Mincemeat from: Whatscookingamerica.net

Mincemeat developed as a way of preserving meat without salting or smoking some 500 years ago in England, where mince pies are still considered an essential accompaniment to holiday dinners just like the traditional plum pudding. This pie is a remnant of a medieval tradition of spiced meat dishes, usually minced mutton, that have survived because of its association with Christmas. These pies have also been known as Christmas Pies. Mince pie as part of the Christmas table had long been an English custom. Today, we are accustomed to eating mince pie as a dessert, but actually "minced" pie and its follow-up "mincemeat pie" began as a main course dish with with more meat than fruit (a mixture of meat, dried fruits, and spices). As fruits and spices became more plentiful in the 17th century, the spiciness of the pies increased accordingly. Read more HERE.

And what's a chocolate blog without chocolate? Here's a great recipe from the BBC for individual Chocolate Mincemeat Pies.

CHOCOLATE MINCEMEAT PIES

Ingredients
10 ounces plain flour, sifted
4½ ounces icing sugar, sifted (powdered/confectioners sugar)
2 oz cocoa powder, sifted
pinch salt
7 oz cold butter, diced
2 free-range egg yolks
1 lb 2 ounces ready-made mincemeat
2 clementines, zest and juice
2 Tbsp milk
1 free-range egg, beaten

Directions
Mix flour, icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl. Mix in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in egg until the mixture comes together in clumps (you may need to a little cold water).
Knead the dough briefly until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and leave to chill in refrigerator for one hour.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix mincemeat, clementine zest, and juice together in bowl.
Remove pastry from fridge, and roll out to thickness of 1/4 inch.
Using a 3 inch fluted cutter, stamp out 12 discs from the pastry and use them to line a 12-hole bun tin.
Fill each hole with two teaspoons of mincemeat mixture and brush edges with a little milk.
Using a 2 1/2 inch fluted cutter, cut out 12 circles and use them to top the mince pies, pressing the edges together with your fingertips.
Re-roll any remaining pastry and cut out snowflakes or star shapes to decorate top.
Brush top of each mince pie with beaten egg and gently place the decorations on top, then brush again with egg.
Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is cooked through.