Description
With sugar, citrus and dried fruit soaked in brandy, this home-made Mincemeat is Christmas in a jar.
Ingredients
Scale
- 450 g (1 lb) vegetarian suet
- 450 g (1 lb) currants
- 450 g (1 lb) raisins
- 450 g (1 lb) sultanas
- 450 g (1 lb) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 cooking apple
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 75 ml (3 fl oz) brandy
Instructions
- Put the suet, dried fruit and sugar in a large bowl.
- Peel, core and chop the apple and add it to the bowl.
- Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon zest.
- Pour in the brandy and stir well.
- Pack the mixture into sterilised jars.
- Place the jars in a cool, dry place and leave for at least a month before using.
- Check the jars every week or so. If the top of the Mincemeat looks dry, you can top it up with some more brandy.
Notes
You can sterilise your jar by washing it in warm, soapy water, rinsing well and then drying off for 15 minutes in an oven set at 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
If (unlike me) you like mixed peel, you can also add 450 g of it to this recipe.
It is easy to scale up this recipe if you want to make more mincemeat. Simply double or triple the quantities of all the ingredients.
The mincemeat should last for at least six months in its jar. You can also freeze it – taking it out of the jar and putting it into a freezer-proof container – and it will keep for at least twelve months.