Slow Cooker Festive Mincemeat
For the purist baker who likes to make homemade mincemeat for the traditional festive sweet 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. The original recipe would ask for a slow bake of three hours in the oven, which powers a fair amount of power. So with my ecological cap on my head, how about making the recipe using a slow cooker, which yes still requires 3 hours but uses less power to heat only the pot.
Homemade mincemeat can always be used immediately, however, the flavour does improve with storing (up to 3 months is just fine).
If you do not have a slow cooker then follow the recipe below using the oven method
Ingredients
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Festive 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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6 tbsp apple juice- or brandy/sherry
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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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6 x 370g clean glass jars
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Decoration For Gifts
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Festive ribbon or festive gift tags
Instructions
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Prepare mincemeat:
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01 Combine all above ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover bowl with a clean cloth and leave in a cool place overnight for all the flavours to mingle. See images #2 & #3.
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Slow cook:
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02 The following day remove cloth, mix all ingredients once more and then tip into the bowl of the slow cooker. Add the lid and slow bake on high for 2-3 hours or follow the instructions of your slow cooker. See images #3 & #4
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Assemble & store:
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03 When cold stir well and either home store or gift. If home storing tip all ingredients into a large glass jar or plastic container and place in a cool, dry place and use when required. If wishing to give the mincemeat as a gift spoon into clean dry jars, cover with a wax or non stick paper disc and seal tightly. Attractively cover with festive ribbon or festive gift tags. See images #4 & #5.
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.
