Why the heck is this still called mincemeat. When we give violent names to things that are intended to be eaten, well, it just doesn’t help – mincing is a step away from grinding, hacking & whacking! Back in the day, I get it – along with the fruit, spices and booze, it was also packed with suet and minced meat – but the times they have-a- change-ed! Today, it has nothing to do with meat or the mincing of said meat. I’m here to break the code – mincemeat is a delightful mixture of chopped dried fruits, distilled spirits, spices and yes, when the Romans ruled, it did contain meat. Our grandmothers all made this from scratch however there are respectable brands on the market to save us a couple of days of distilling and well, mincing. The same can be said of the pie crust – make the pie dough yourself or head to the freezer section for ready-made (who needs to know) – exactly.
And when you peel and dice a few apples, fry ’em up in a little butter and then stir in a jar of mincemeat, well, you are halfway to heaven. The other half of the trip would be the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth tart shells and the apple crisp-style topping – and who says you can’t reinvent, apple crisp, mincemeat pie and tarts all in the same recipe. FYI – isn’t a tart just a little pie? Of course it is. So make tarts or make pies, but whatever you do – just make it – this can be whipped up in a few minutes but tastes like it took a lot longer than that! And if you really want to make it, I mean really, really make it – as in youtube-style makin’ it – just see what can happen if you stick with it – so get yourself a little pie-making know-how – and we’ll see who’s makin’ it now – and in time for any holiday table, from now clear through the new year.
click here to jump down to the mincemeat apple crisp tart recipe
1. Start peeling and choppin’ up apples – the more apples, the more tarts.
2. See? I’m still peelin’ & choppin’ …
3. Lay the tart shells out on a baking pan and put them in the oven to brown.
4. Like this – and let them cool before you fill them.
5. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
6. Start adding the apples.
7. Lots of cinnamon …
8. Make it nice and cinnamony!
9. Zest a lemon – just adds a certain “je ne sais quoi”.
10. And the juice of that lemon, to keep that “je ne sais quoi” coming.
11. Stir it all around and let a little caramelization take place.
12. Get out the mincemeat.
13. Stir it all up with the sautéed apples.
14. Get the crunchy topping together in a bowl – oatmeal, flour, butter, brown sugar & spices.
15. Once the tart shells have cooled, fill them and bake until the topping is golden.
16. And you now have a mess of glorious mincemeat apple crisp tarts! Ready for a big dollop of whipped or vanilla ice cream – sigh …
mincemeat apple crisp tarts
1. Arrange the following on a baking pan and bake according to package for filled pies & allow to cool:
- 24 pre-made tart or 2-3 pie shells (or make your own)
2. Peel and chop:
- 8-10 best baking apples
3. Heat a fry pan to medium-high and add the following:
- 7-8 cups chopped apples
- 2-3 tbsps. butter
- 1-3 tsps. cinnamon
- zest & juice of 1 lemon
4. Sauté until the apples have softened and caramelize – then add:
- 1 jar mincemeat
5. And stir it all around. For the topping, mix together in a bowl:
- 1-11/2 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- pinch+ of salt
6. With a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut the following into the oatmeal mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs:
- 1/2 cup butter
7. Start filling the tart shells with apple mixture and generously sprinkle with the topping mixture. Press down slightly. Bake at 375° until topping is lightly browned.
get creative
- If you need more crisp, just add a little more oats/flour/brown sugar/spices and cut in a little more butter – it’s the kind of recipe that you really can’t mess up.
- Add nuts to the apple mixture or finely chop a few into the topping
- Instead of tart shells, use wonton wrappers to make dessert dumplings
- Take those same wonton wrappers and get creative – they can be filled with sweet concoctions (like this apple mixture) just as easily as savoury.
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