Now, for me, Christmas is not Christmas without alcohol drenched dried fruit, mixed with citrus flavours and warms spices. I am a big fan or all things fruity; Christmas cake, mince pies and Christmas pudding! So today I am sharing with you something of a Christmas staple – mincemeat.
Now most people think mincemeat can only be eaten within a mince pie (recipe coming next week!), but there are many other delicious ways to enjoy mincemeat goodness. I love to have it on yogurt for breakfast (!), my husband loves it on oatcakes, it tastes great with cream or ice cream or dolloped on top of custard. Plus for real foodie lovers, homemade mincemeat can also be a brilliant gift. I often give people jars of homemade mincemeat as it lasts for ages and is very easy and cheap to make. So whether you make it for yourself or for a friend, make sure you fridge has a jar of it in it! This stuff taste so much better than shop bought versions, plus it takes about 20 mins to make (not including cooking time) and everyone will think you are a domestic Goddess or God.
Mincemeat does tends to be very sweet naturally so this recipe doesn’t require much sweetener and should in general be eaten in moderation and ideally with fat to ensure you don’t get too much of a blood sugar spike. So maybe not a staple for all year round but brilliant for the festive season!
This recipe makes just over 1kg so is should see your through the festive season , or at least a week if you go through it like we do!!
Mincemeat
Easy, healthy mincemeat perfect for pies and puddings!
Ingredients
- 800 g Cooking Apples - finely chopped
- Zest + juice of 2 oranges
- Zest + juice of 2 lemons
- 1 kg Mixed Dried Fruit
- 1 Bottle 80cl Whiskey (optional)
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 300 ml Cider any variety
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Instructions
- If using the whiskey ( for a more luxurious mincemeat) soak the dried fruit in the whiskey for at anywhere between 12 hours - 3 days.
- Place the apples, cider and fruit juice and zest in a pan and bring to simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 mins.
- Once the apples have become soft add the dried fruit, spices and honey and keep on a medium/low heat for about 15 mins.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool and store in fridge.
Notes
Feel free to add different dried fruit like dates, figs, apricots or cherries to mix it up a bit.
Also you can use rum or brandy instead of whiskey - I am just a big whiskey fan so I sneak it in where ever I can!
You can remove the skins of the apples if you want but I don't tend too as I cant be arsed! It still tastes good. Adapted from From A Good Housekeeping Magazine Recipe
Also you can use rum or brandy instead of whiskey - I am just a big whiskey fan so I sneak it in where ever I can!
You can remove the skins of the apples if you want but I don't tend too as I cant be arsed! It still tastes good. Adapted from From A Good Housekeeping Magazine Recipe
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