Bring the holiday spirit into your house with

Florence’s Classic Mincemeat Pie Filling

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds apples (5-6 medium apples), washed, peeled, cored, and quartered

• 1 cup seedless raisins (and/or currants and/or golden raisins aka sultanas)

• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

• ⅔ cup orange juice

• 1/2 stick butter (or suet, if you wish to be very traditional!)

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or more to taste)

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves (or more to taste)

• 2-3 tablespoons brandy (optional)

• Note: While you are welcome to add ground beef, mutton, and/or venison to make it a VERY traditional mincemeat pie, Innkeeper Florence sticks with the flesh of the apples to create a delicious modern take of this holiday classic.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Chop the apples finely with a knife or food processor (the processor will make less uniform shapes, so chopping is better if you have time.)

2. In a medium, heavy pot, combine the apples, raisins and/or currants, cider vinegar, orange juice, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

3. Place over low heat and simmer very slowly for about 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

4. Remove from heat and stir in brandy if using.

5. Let cool, then pack into a sterilized quart mason jar. Store in refrigerator.

When making a classic Mincemeat Pie, we recommend using approximately 2 cups filling per 9-inch pie or 4 cups for a 10 inch pie. Use with Florence’s Buttery Crust recipe and serve with Old-Fashioned Hard Sauce. Happy Holidays!