Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management

beef. Remove all membrane from three pounds of fresh beef-suet, chop it fine, and add it to the chopped beef and tongue. Next add to the meat and suet the following named ingredients : Four pounds of chopped tart apples, weighed after they are pared and cored ; four pounds of raisins stoned and chopped, not too fine ; two pounds of currants, picked over, well washed, and then rubbed dry in a clean towel, and sifted to free them from stems ; one pound of citron cut in small, thin slices ; a quarter of a pound each of candied orange and lemon peel, sliced thin ; one pound of sweet almonds, and two ounces of bitter almonds, weighed after the shells are removed ; blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water over them after they are shelled, and then rubbing the skin off with a clean towel, and chop them, not too fine ; add the grated yellow rind and juice of four lemons and four oranges. Sweeten the mince-meat with four pounds of coffee-sugar ; season it with two level tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful each of pepper, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and mace, and two medium-sized nutmegs grated. Next add to the mince-meat one quart of Madeira wine, half a pint of good brandy, and sufficient sweet cider to moisten it. Mix the mince-meat thoroughly, taste it, and add, if required, more sugar, salt, and spice ; remember that in good mince-meat no one flavor should predominate ; it should have a rich, even taste. Mix it thoroughly, and let it stand at least one day before using it. Mince-meat carefully made after this recipe will keep all winter, if covered and placed where it is cool. PLAIN MINCE-MEAT. Use two pounds of lean beef from the neck or shoulder ; boil it gently until it is tender, putting it over the fire in boiling water enough to cover it ; when it is quite tender, cool and chop it. Prepare the following named ingredients, and add them to the meat : one pound each of suet, raisins, and currants ; a quarter of a pound of citron, four pounds of apples, two pounds of sugar, two nutmegs, two level tablespoonfuls of salt ; one teaspoonful each of pepper, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and mace ; one tablespoonful of essence of lemon ; half a pint each of wine and molasses ; one quart of sweet cider ; one gill of brandy. Moisten the mince-meat with some of the pot-liquor in which the beef was boiled, adding to it the fat which forms on the top of the cold pot-liquor. Make the seasoning of the mince-meat palatable, and keep it over a day before using it. This recipe has been printed before, like the preceding one ; but it would not be well to omit it on that account. FRUIT MINCE-PIES.