Old Time Mincemeat Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup apple cider 
• 0.5 cup butter 
• 0.5 pound candied fruit peel mixed chopped
• 16 ounce cherries sour with liquid reserved pitted drained canned
• 16 ounce cherry preserves sour
• 2.5 cups currants dried
• 4  granny smith apples diced cored peeled finely
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 2.5 cups raisins 
• 1.3 pounds round steak cut into small pieces
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1.3 cups sugar white

Equipment

• oven
• pot
• dutch oven

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, combine beef and apple cider. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until meat is tender.
2. Remove meat and coarsely chop, then return it to the pot.
3. Stir in chopped apples, sugar, currants, raisins, citrus peel, butter and cherry preserves.
4. Add ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
5. Let simmer, uncovered, over low heat until mixture is very thick, about 90 minutes. Stir in cherries and remove from heat.
6. Refrigerate tightly covered for at least a week before using.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Put filling in unbaked pie shell and place pastry on top. Crimp edges and poke several holes in top pastry.
8. Brush top with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.