Stirring it up: Mincemeat Biscotti

Biscotti recipes are simple and take little time to prepare. Enhanced with a variety of added ingredients such as nuts, chocolate and fruit, biscotti is a perfect complement to a hot beverage. These cookies traces their origins to Roman times. The word biscotto (biscotti is the plural) derives from “bis,” Latin for twice, and “coctum” or baked (which became “cotto,” or cooked).

Makes 2 loaves – when cut they make about 24 – 30 slices.

Oven 350° (175°C)

Bake two bakings of 10-15 minutes each.

Abbreviations used:

• c. = cup. USA cup measure has the capacity of 8 fl. ounces.
• t. = teaspoon
• T. = tablespoon

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mincemeat*
• 2 T. brandy or rum (can be omitted if mincemeat has brandy or rum in it)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• extra flour for work surface

Method:

• combine mincemeat and brandy or rum in a small bowl- set aside
• in a second, larger, bowl, cream the sugar and butter
• add eggs and mix well
• add mincemeat mixture
• in a third bowl combine flour and baking powder
• add flour mixture to the mincemeat mixture in the large bowl and mix until blended
• on a well-floured work surface turn out 1/3 to 1/2 of the dough and form it into a log. Dough will be sticky so keep extra flour on hand
• repeat using the remain dough
• transfer logs to parchment paper lined jelly roll pan
• bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm and lightly brown
• remove from the oven and let sit 5-8 minutes
• transfer logs one at a time to a cutting board and cut diagonally into slices about 1″ (3cm) wide. Tip: Use a sharp knife to make one single cut, don’t try to cut it like a loaf of bread.
• return slices to the parchment lined pan leaving a little space between each slice
• bake for another 10-15 minutes or until desired crispness
• cool completely
• eat, store in air tight container or freeze!

Also see our blog for chocolate chip espresso biscotti.

Dishing it out:

*Mincemeat (not to be confused with minced meat) is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and sometimes beef suet. Originally, mincemeat always contained meat. Many modern recipes contain beef suet, though vegetable shortening is sometimes used in its place. Common brands are None Such by Borden, Crosse & Blackwell, and Robertson’s.

From Wikipedia: The “mince” in mincemeat comes from the Middle English mincen, and the Old French mincier both traceable to the Vulgar Latin minutiare, meaning chop finely. The word mincemeat is an adaptation of an earlier term minced meat, meaning finely chopped meat. Meat was also a term for food in general, not only animal flesh.

Many years ago we were enjoying New Year’s dinner with family in Scotland. We had feasted on leek soup, capon, all kinds of roasted root veggies and of course, a lovely wine. After an appropriate interlude to allow our stomachs to make room for dessert, my mother-in-law went to the kitchen to fetch the much anticipated mincemeat pie from the oven.

Brought to the table on a fancy platter accompanied by ice cream, she proceeded to cut into the pie only to discover she had in front of her, minced meat pie, known to North Americans as ground beef or hamburger pie! We all had a good laugh as we realized she had miss labeled the package. We proceeded to feast upon the delicious ice cream and enjoyed minced meat pie for dinner the following evening!