Finding a traditional mincemeat pie in Essex County

I've never been a fan of mincemeat pies. As far as I was concerned, it's the bad fruitcake of pie. Full of sad dried fruits and not much else.

The worst offence? Despite the name, most modern versions of the dish don't even contain meat. This pie was a lie.

My feelings toward mincemeat pie changed entirely when I visited Harold Wagner at Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery in Lakeshore.

In addition to their popular orchard and farming operations, the Wagner family produces 5,000 pies every year. A number of fillings are available. In December, that includes mincemeat. 

That in itself is not so unusual — after all, mincemeat pies are a traditional Christmas food for many.

What makes these mincemeat pies different is that they actually contain meat. To be specific, beef and pork, raised right on the farm. 

"Most people don't realize it, but [traditionally, there was] meat in mincemeat tarts. It was a way of preserving meat," said Wagner. The mincemeat pie he produces is based on a recipe discovered in an old Mennonite cookbook.

"[The addition of meat] makes it richer. If you have just raisins, sugar, citrus and all these spices, you don't have any fat. When you add fat, it coats everything and gives [the pie] a richer, luxurious taste. Otherwise, it's just like candy."

Wagner compares the mincemeat filling he makes to chili. Watching him prepare the mixture, the comparison makes sense. Like chili, mincemeat contains lots of meat and spices — it's just sweeter. Instead of tomatoes and kidney beans, mincemeat uses a variety of dried fruit, such as raisins, currants and citron peel.

Every ingredient is prepared with care. Raisins are plumped, nutmeg is freshly grated and the crust is wonderfully flaky thanks to the use of pure lard.

As strange as it may sound, the addition of meat really does makes a huge difference - it's a much richer flavour. It also helps tone down the sickly-sweet taste I normally experience with this type of pie. If mincemeat was always prepared like this, there's no question it would become more popular.

Sure, this pie is not health food — but it's the holidays, right?