Making Mincemeat of ‘Em

I love Thanksgiving. It is fast becoming my favorite holiday. In the past, if you had asked me what my favorite holiday was I would have quickly answered that it was Christmas. As I get older I seem to like Thanksgiving more and more.

Possibly it is because I love the Over The River And Through The Woods feel of the drive through the back roads of Central California to my mother-in-law’s house. It’s gorgeous. The leaves on the trees are all different colors. The persimmons hang on bare limbs of enormous trees. You can smell the wood fire smoke in the chilly morning air. Norman Rockwell perfect, I tell ya.

It is also possible that I like Thanksgiving because I don’t do all of the cooking. In fact I do very little if any at all. (Strange, I know but it is nice to just show up and be fed from time to time). This year, though, I am adding a little Larson flare to the Thanksgiving table.

Growing up, Gam, my mother’s mother, would always make a mince pie. Mince pie is a throwback to an older generation and is frankly very misunderstood. Since traditionally it was made using suet, a.k.a. beef fat, people assumed that mince pie would taste like, well, beef fat. It does not. It is actually made of dried fruits and nuts and is quite good. However, the only people of my childhood who would risk their taste buds and eat the Thanksgiving mince pies were Grandpa Larson (my Dad’s Dad), Pa (my Mother’s Step Father), and my dad because he never saw a pie he didn’t like. The rest of us treated mince pie like poison and stuck with the pumpkin.

I had the opportunity to try legit mince pie when I was traveling in Scotland, and I have been hooked ever since. I do admit I make it without the suet. In all fairness, I don’t even make the mincemeat. I use the jarred Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat that we carry in our gourmet department. It’s just as good as what I could make, and so much easier. I do add a splash of brandy. I can’t help myself. I just gotta mess with it a little.) And here’s another tip, the frozen Upper Crust ready made pie shells are by far the best frozen shells I have tasted, and they have a gluten-free version too. Just buy two shells, and roll out one for the top crust.

For those who are interested in trying a mince pie but don’t want to make it, or even just bake it, we have them available in our pastry case during the holidays and, frankly, we are one of the few markets who do, so grab your forks!