Skip to main content

Mincemeat tarts

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.19.2009

Naturally, since I’m giving away healthy living books today, I have to blog about food. LOL

I have never had mincemeat, although I read about them in my Regency historical romances and I had an English coworker once who described them to me. I know they’re traditionally eaten at Christmas, and I wanted to try one at some point but never had the opportunity.

Then Captain Caffeine saw this box of commercially made mincemeat tarts at Marshall’s right after Christmas.

The fact they’re made with Glenfiddich single malt scotch whiskey is the main reason he bought it, but it happened to coincide with my desire to try mincemeat.

So we heated them up according to the package directions and tried them.

They weren’t bad, but BOY OH BOY was the whiskey strong in those puppies. I liked the currants in them, but Captain Caffeine didn’t care for them because he dislikes raisins, and the currants were too much like the texture of small raisins for him.

All in all, an interesting flavor but not mind-boggling. I’d probably feel differently if they were homemade and fresher, but it was good just to try.

Anyone who likes mincemeat out there?

Comments

Anonymous said…
You're brave. I haven't even tried them yet. I'm such a wimp when it comes to trying new food.

My stepmother is English, so it's even around my dad's house when I visit. But like I said, I'm a wimp.
I'm in Scotland, and at Christmas EVERYONE eats them, warm or cold. I like the pastry better than whats in them!
But they aren't bad at all!
You should try Haggis! now that's something different!
Barb said…
When I was a child my mom would make mincemeat pies (without alcohol). I don't think I ever tasted them, though, because they didn't seem appetizing to me. My dad is Canadian and I'm thinking it all had something to do with his family.
Hey Camy, I love mincemeat tarts but not the traditional ones with suet.

When the green tomatoes are in season, I make vegetarian mincemeat and preserve it in pint jars. Then, during the holiday season, I buy a pkg of ready made tart shells, open a jar of mincemeat and after a bit of baking, voila - mincemeat tarts.

If anyone is interested, I posted the recipe awhile back on the veggie recipe message boards at http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/cafe-social/recipe-file/main-course-vegetarian but I'll copy and paste it here:

Green Tomato Mincemeat

Chop 8 lbs green tomatoes
Cover with water
Add 1 tbsp salt
Cook until tender. Drain.

Add:
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp mace
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
½ cup butter
1 lb raisins (or 2 lbs if no currants)
1 lb currants
2 lbs grated apples
4 lbs brown sugar

Cook everything together for 2 hrs on stove or in roaster in oven at 350 deg for 2 hrs.
Seal in sterile jars.
Makes about 10 pints
Camy Tang said…
Awesome! Thanks so much, Anita Mae!
Camy

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...