Fat Free Homemade Mincemeat
For the purist baker who likes to make homemade mincemeat for the traditional mince pie treat, let me share with you my recipe, which over the years I have cultivated to contain no fat, definitely not so sweet and certainly more flavourful than any commercially bought product, which of course is great to have on standby if you are short of time and need to crack open a jar ASAP.
Homemade mincemeat not only tastes delicious, it is a great gift to give during the festive season, especially when stored in attractive glass jars, and topped with festive cloth wrappers attractively tied with colourful ‘festive’ ribbons.
Homemade mincemeat can always be used immediately, however, the flavour does improve with storing (up to 3 months is just fine).
Ingredients
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Homemade Mincemeat
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450g apples- cored and chopped small, no need to peel
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350g soft dark brown
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2 oranges- zest and juice
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2 lemons- zest and juice
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350g dried raisins
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350g dried sultanas
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225g dried currants
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200g mixed glace fruit- chopped
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50g almonds- blanched and cut into slivers
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2 tsp mixed spice- or allspice
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½ tsp cinnamon powder
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½ grated nutmeg- or powder
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6 tbsp apple juice- or brandy
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Storage For Home Use
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Large jar or plastic container
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Storage For Gifts
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Festive fabric circles
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6 x clean glass jars- 370g jars or larger
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Festive ribbon
Instructions
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Prepare mincemeat:
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01 Combine all above ingredients in a large oven proof bowl. Cover bowl with a clean cloth and leave in a cool place overnight for all the flavours to mingle.
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02 The following day pre-heat the oven to 120°C. Remove cloth, mix all ingredients once more and then cover loosely with tin foil.
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To bake:
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03 Place in oven and slowly bake for 3 hours.
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04 Remove from oven and allow everything to cool in the bowl.
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Storage:
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05 When cold place in clean, dry jars, cover with a wax or non stick paper disc and seal tightly. Attractively cover with festive material and ribbons. For home usage store in a large glass jar or plastic container, in a cool, dry place. Use when required.
Notes
For a quality mincemeat always select the finest quality dried fruit, and do make sure that when the packet is opened you remove any stalks or bits of wood etc. which sometimes are easy to find. Please also do not try to hurry up the slow 3 hour bake, as this is necessary for all the intense flavours to infuse.
