This may not be your traditional mince. When I used to work in bakeries, we always outsourced good quality fruit mince in bulk. So I never got a chance to actually make it! This wasn’t something I grew up eating either and thus I never had a family recipe that was passed down or anything like that!
I was lucky to received a few references, tips and tricks from my Australian friends and overtime I have been tweaking it to better suite my palette. I always use what I have got at hand and what’s available in the super market rather than sticking to the same ingredients. Last year was the first time I made this after relocating to the US. I had a lot of home made cranberry jam(another first for me) and thought I’d use that in my mince and it turned out delicious. I just love orange and cranberry combo!
If you are intrigued by these flavors then give this a try and leave your feedback in the comments below.
I use this mincemeat to make my mince pies
Ingredients
To cook on stove
- 1 apple, peeled cored and finely chopped
- 1 cups sultana (I use golden)
- 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped candied orange peel
- 1 cup homemade cranberry jam
- zest of two oranges
spices (adjust to your taste)
- 1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of freshly ground cloves(top part only)
To add later
- 1/2 cup brandy
Instructions
- Place butter in a heavy base pan and melt over medium heat
- Add the apples, dried fruit, sugar, zest and cranberry jam and stir to coat
- Add the almonds at this stage
- Bring to a simmer, add the spices and stir and let it cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes
- If you find the mixture too watery, reduce further
- Take off the heat and let it cool slightly (for about 15 minutes)
- Add the brandy and mix well
- Spoon into sterilized jars, cover tightly and store at room temperature
- Refrigerate after opening
Notes
Replace cranberry jam with 1/2 cup dried cranberried and 1/4 cup sugar
Chop dried fruit if you don’t like your mince chunky
Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking
