So Nick's Mum has a Mason jar of mincemeat in our fridge that she made a couple of years ago. Hearing that she had made the filling as we ate some homemade mince pies last Christmas was pretty inspiring. I am so looking forward to giving my mum a jar to use and knowing I made it.
I followed Delia (sorry, St. Delia!) Smith's recipe which was super simple.
My only grizzle is the 3 hour oven bake the following day, which is expensive to do - in my opinion. But I also made a cake for friends at the same time and it ended up working out for them to be finished at the same time.
This recipe made 2 jars of mincemeat. I did press it down to make sure I didn't have too much air in the jar. I'm not sure whether that was right or not, but it meant that I have only 2 jars. I may make some more and give them away as gifts...
I split the mixture in half and added the brandy to one so that I have one boozy and one not.
The dry ingredients.
I added the apple at the end...
I meant to say that I put the rind from the orange and lemon in a bowl and added 2 Earl Grey tea bags to the juices. I thought it would be nice to infuse some Earl Grey in there. Next time I would heat the juice a little to make sure it works.
After bringing the mix out of the oven. It didn't look like there was fat floating on it, as the recipe states but I did use vegetable suet. Maybe that made a difference. Keep stirring it as it cools. I out a clean cloth over the pan and went out so it was a bit congealed by the time I got back...
So, enough chatter. On to the recipe:
Home-made Christmas Mincemeat
Home-made mincemeat is dead simple to make. But in the past people used to have trouble storing it. This was because the high percentage of apples oozed too much juice and the juice started to ferment. In the following recipe the mincemeat is placed in a barely warm oven and so the suet gradually melts and as this happens it coats all the fruits, including the apples, sealing in the juices. Vegetarians can make this mincemeat happily, using vegetarian suet.
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Makes 3 lb (1.35 kg)
This recipe is adapted from Delia Smith’s Christmas.
| Ingredients |
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| 8oz (225g) Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel them) |
| 4 oz (110 g) shredded suet |
| 6oz (175 g) raisins |
| 4oz (110 g) sultanas |
| 4oz (110 g) currants |
| 4oz (110 g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped |
| 6oz (175 g) soft dark brown sugar |
| grated zest and juice 1 orange |
| grated zest and juice 1 lemon |
| 1 oz (25 g) whole almonds, cut into slivers |
| 2 level teaspoons mixed ground spice |
| ¼ level teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| good pinch freshly grated nutmeg |
| 3 tablespoons brandy |
| Equipment |
| You will also need 3 x 1lb (350ml) preserving jars and 3 waxed discs. |
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Method
All you do is combine all the ingredients, except for the brandy, in a large mixing bowl, stirring them and mixing them together very thoroughly indeed. Then cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight or for 12 hours, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and develop. After that pre-heat the oven to gas mark ¼, 225°F (120°C). Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours, then remove the bowl from the oven. Don't worry about the appearance of the mincemeat, which will look positively swimming in fat. This is how it should look. As it cools, stir it from time to time; the fat will coagulate and, instead of it being in tiny shreds, it will encase all the other ingredients.
When the mincemeat is quite cold, stir well again, adding the brandy. Pack in jars that have been sterilised (see below). When filled, cover with waxed discs and seal. The mincemeat will keep for ages in a cool, dark cupboard but I think it is best eaten within a year of making.
NOTE: To sterilise jars, wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water, rinse well, then dry thoroughly with a clean tea cloth, place them on a baking tray and pop into a medium oven, gas mark 4, 350F, 180C, for 5 minutes.
RECIPE COST: £3.65 |
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