Let me tell you about my Homemade Christmas Mincemeat. It's rather special because it doesn't contain any suet -- the fat comes from nuts; it also doesn't contain any candied peel -- just lots of dried and fresh fruit plus a lot of Booze! Which means it is also vegan friendly.
So here's how to make Homemade Plum and Apple Mincemeat.
Makes 4 x 450g jars. I use the large Kilner jars and the mixture fills up 1 and a half.
Preparation & Baking time: soaking + overnight preparation + 2.5 hours of cooking
Ingredients
1kg Plums
Oranges (zest & juice) - You need 200ml
500g Apples (I use Russet) - Peel, core and cut into 1cm cubes
200g Currants
200g Raisins
200g Sultanas
50ml Brandy (plus extra for soaking)(check that your brand is vegan friendly)
50ml Green Ginger Wine (plus extra for soaking)(check that your brand is vegan friendly)
100g Marmalade
250g Demerera Sugar
1/2 Tsp Cloves
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
100g Walnuts (chopped)
Here's how I make vegan Christmas Mincemeat:
Soak the dried fruit (currants, raisins and sultanas) in your alcohol of choice - you can do this overnight, for a few hours or for 1-2 weeks. I use a combination of Brandy and Green Ginger Wine. I tend to measure by eye!
The next stage is an overnight process: First, wash the plums, halve and remove stones. Put into a saucepan with the orange juice and zest and cook gently until tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then use a hand blender to blend to a puree. You'll need 700ml of the plum puree. Set aside and allow to cool.
Once the puree is cool, put it in a large bowl and add all of the ingredients, including the delicious jewels of fruit which will be rather tipsy right now to the bowl. At this stage do not add the brandy, however, you should add the green ginger wine. Mix thoroughly and leave, covered up, for at least 12 hours.
It's at this point you want to give some thought about your jars. They need to be sterilised and you can easily do this by putting them in the dishwasher for a cycle.
Preheat your oven to 130c Fan. Put your mixture into a large roasting or baking dish uncovered and bake for 2.5 hours. Your house will smell like Christmas! When you remove the dish from the oven, stir in the brandy and spoon the mixture into your sterilised jar, ensuring there are no air pockets.
Seal and store for Christmas. The mixture should keep for 12 months. I've been known to use up the last of my mincemeat the following autumn - it adds a delicious flavour to crumbles!
I'm personally a traditional mince pie girl, although a do go weak at the knees for a Frangipane version... See my recipe for Frangipane mince pies! Both go equally well with a nice cup of tea!