Traditional Homemade Mincemeat Recipe

refs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/mincemeat

Mincemeat originated over 500 years ago in England as a way of preserving meat. Over the years, most cooks have omitted most or all of the meat in their recipes, and mincemeat has now become a rich, sweet dessert filling. Shredded suet is an ingredient in most mincemeat recipes, but vegetable shortening or vegetable suet can be substituted, especially for vegetarian versions.

Mincemeat is used on the Xmas mincepies English Mince Pies. It’s fabulous, not only in pies, but in cheesecakes, in cookies, over ice cream, in coffee cakes, in steamed Christmas puddings, and in numerous other desserts.

It really is dead simple to make, though 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.

Ingredients

• • 450g/16oz Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel)

  • 225g/8oz shredded suet (if you live outside the UK, you can get this from any butcher. Just ask for kidney fat (from the cow). This is a very hard fat that is around the kidneys. It has a much higher melting point then butter. It is normally just throw away or mix with seeds for bird feeder in the winter.

  • 350g/12oz raisins

  • 225g/8oz sultanas

  • 225g/8oz currants

  • 225g/8oz whole candied peel, finely chopped

  • 350g/12oz soft dark brown sugar

  • grated zest and juice of 2 oranges

  • grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

  • 50g/2oz whole almonds, cut into slivers

  • 4 tsp mixed ground spice

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • nutmeg, for grating, to taste

  • 6 tbsp brandy

Preparation 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 tea towel 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 preheat the oven to 120C/250F/Gas ¼, cover the bowl loosely with foil (remove the tea towel) and place it in the oven for three hours. Then remove the bowl from the oven and don't worry about the appearance of the mincemeat which looks 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 in the brandy. Pack in sterilised jars, cover with wax discs and seal. It will keep in a cool, dark cupboard indefinitely, but I think it is best eaten within a year of making.

Where mincemeat is used:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cranberrystuddedminc_90619

Xmas Pudding

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/last_minute_christmas_12404