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Carl Davaz

Mincemeat: The very thought of it is enough to make you shudder.

What’s in there? And most importantly, does it really contain meat?

The answer to the meat question is: It depends. It used to have meat because it was a good way to use up those leftover meat scraps and bits no one knew what to do with.

I asked a group of women about mincemeat. One, originally from Wyoming, said her mother used to make it. When asked about the recipe, she said, “Well, first you have to get some venison.”

A recipe that begins with the application for a hunting license will put off a lot of cooks.

When it comes down to it, what you taste is apples, raisins and spices with the bit of tang from vinegar. The meat is unnoticeable, so why bother to put it in?

I like the bit of orange that comes from adding candied orange peel. You can substitute orange marmalade, preferably one that’s more orange peel than jelly — finely chopped if the pieces are large.

There are a many ways to use mincemeat besides making a pie: heated and served over vanilla ice cream; stirred into softened ice cream; stirred into muffin batter; rolled up as a filling for crepes (great for breakfast or dessert); as a pickle or chutney on a sandwich (especially ham or sharp Cheddar).

The properties of Granny Smith apples that make it not my favorite for pies (very tart, stays relatively firm and doesn’t lose its shape when cooked) are what make it my favorite for mincemeat.

This recipe’s portions will make enough mincemeat for one pie, but perhaps we should come up with a different name.

How about Spiced Chopped Apple Pie?

Mincemeat

• 4 cups finely diced Granny Smith apples
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (or 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied orange peel)
• 1 cup raisins (light or dark or a combination)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup bourbon or brandy
• 1/2 cup apple cider, apple juice or water

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Variation: Replace part of the raisins with dried cranberries. Replace bourbon with brandy.

Candied Orange Peel

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

• 3 large organic navel oranges, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Cut the oranges into quarters, lengthwise. Pull or scrape off the flesh and any white strings. Leave the pith intact. Cut each quarter lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

To blanch the peel and the remove bitterness, put peel in a large heavy saucepan, add cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Drain. Repeat two more times. Return the orange peel to the saucepan, add cold water to cover by about 1 inch and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the peel is tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Set a rack over a baking sheet. Combine the corn syrup, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals that could cause crystallization. Add the orange peel.

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring once or twice with a clean spoon until the peel is translucent and very tender and the syrup has reduced to a few spoonfuls, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Place the peel on the wire rack to drain, separating the strips. Let dry, at least four hours. Once thoroughly dry, peel can be stored in the refrigerator an airtight container indefinitely.

Kim Davaz of Eugene writes the biweekly Eating In column.

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