Growing up I always thought that mince pies had actual mince in them - please tell me i am not alone in this - and because we never ate them at home or knew anyone in my family or friends that liked them, i never bothered to investigate what they actually were.
Fast forward to the first time trying mince pie in school after discovering the actual contents, I found that i didn't like them at all. Every year since then I've tried to force myself into liking them and it just made me dislike them more ever time.
Thank the lord for my amazing friend Sharon who brought her home made mince pies to work last year, i geared myself up to try one since she promised they tasted nothing like shop bought ones, and boy was I amazed at how delicious they were.
So from trying a home made one I knew i had to make my own version. I wasted no time whatsoever and found myself indulging in making as many mince pies as possible and handing them out left right and centre.
So to make my home made mincemeat for mince pies you will need:
170g currants,
raisins
sultanas
dried cranberries
100g mixed peel
1 small cooking apple, peeled and chopped
100g butter
25g vegetable suet
115g soft light brown muscavado sugar
95g soft dark brown muscavado sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
ground Nutmeg
100ml orange juice
100ml orange juice
apple juice
Zest of 1 lemon
• Start by placing all the dried fruit into a bowl along with the cinnamon, mixed spice and both fruit juices. Stir till well incorprated and leave to soak over night - i normally mix mine up early evening and leave till the next evening before cooking
• When ready to cook, take your soaked fruit along with the rest of the ingredients into a heavy based pan, and on a medium heat stir everything together until the butter and sugar completely melt
• Bring the mixture to boiling point on a high heat, then lower the heat completely and leave to simmer until the mixture has thickened slighty, and the fruit juices have reduced.
• Leave to completley cool, and use to make up mince pies using a batch of my Sweet short crust pastry You'll need about 250g of mince meat to make 12 mince pies.
Store any left over mince meat in sterilised jars and keep in the fridge for up to 6 months
Zest of 1 lemon
• Start by placing all the dried fruit into a bowl along with the cinnamon, mixed spice and both fruit juices. Stir till well incorprated and leave to soak over night - i normally mix mine up early evening and leave till the next evening before cooking
• When ready to cook, take your soaked fruit along with the rest of the ingredients into a heavy based pan, and on a medium heat stir everything together until the butter and sugar completely melt
• Bring the mixture to boiling point on a high heat, then lower the heat completely and leave to simmer until the mixture has thickened slighty, and the fruit juices have reduced.
• Leave to completley cool, and use to make up mince pies using a batch of my Sweet short crust pastry You'll need about 250g of mince meat to make 12 mince pies.
Store any left over mince meat in sterilised jars and keep in the fridge for up to 6 months
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