Homemade Christmas mincemeat is the perfect ingredient for all your Christmas baking and makes a lovely Christmas gifts - I have a post coming soon called 'Christmas in a Jar' - which are my kids teachers Christmas presents this year.
Mincemeat is actually a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices. Did you know back in time originally contained real meat, but modern versions now sometimes have suet, most commonly beef suet.
You can buy mincemeat, but when it is home-made it really is in another category, and once you make it yourself, you'll never look back, it's very satisfying and so easy. You can make a smaller batch or lots of jars as presents. Bonus is that like jam, mincemeat keeps for about 3-6 months.
Mincemeat is the traditional filling for mince pies, is a spicy preserve comprising a mixture of dried fruit, apple and candied fruit and spices steeped in brandy and cider. Although you can use mincemeat as a chutney with your Christmas cheese board or make some Christmas breakfast muffins!!
Ingredients
600ml Cider
600g Dark Brown Sugar
600g Cooking Apples chopped finely
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Mixed Spice
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
240g Currants
260g Raisins
180g Sultanas
165g Candied Mixed Peel
160g Finely Chopped Almonds
1 1/2 Orange Zest and Juice
1 1/2 Lemon Zest and Juice
225ml Brandy
Put the cider and dark brown sugar in a large saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the brandy
Bring back to boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes
After 45 minutes, the mixture will have thicken, take off the heat
Pour in the brandy and stir well.
Spoon into sterilised jars, and then to seal place in the oven at 140c for 15-20 minutes.
Christmas Vegetarian Mincemeat
Easy homemade Chistmas Vegetarian Mincemeat
- 600ml Cider
- 600g Dark Brown Sugar
- 600g Cooking Apples chopped finely
- 1 1/2 Tsp Ground Mixed Spice
- 1 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
- 240g Currants
- 260g Raisins
- 180g Sultanas
- 165g Candied Mixed Peel
- 160g Finely Chopped Almonds
- 1 1/2 Orange Zest and Juice
- 1 1/2 Lemon Zest and Juice
- 225ml Brandy
- Put the cider and dark brown sugar in a large saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the brandy
- Bring back to boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes
- After 45 minutes, the mixture will have thicken, take off the heat
- Pour in the brandy and stir well.
- Spoon into sterilised jars, and then to seal place in the oven at 140c for 15-20 minutes.
- Store in a dry cool cupboard
Tejal's Kitchen http://www.tejalskitchen.com/
