Mincemeat and Mince Pies Recipes

Mincemeat and Mince Pies

First attempt based on Nigella Lawson's. Slightly increased the dried fruit to apple ratio. Hope it will keep. Need also to check the citrus balance.

			Used 2006/11/28
	8oz	250g	8oz	Dark soft sugar
		250ml	8oz	Apple juice or dry (hard) cider
		1kg	1kg (chopped fairly fine)	Cooking apples or Granny Smiths
1/2t			1t	Mixed Spice
1/2t			1/2t	Gd cinnamon
		250g	9oz	Currants
		250g	7oz	Raisins
			8oz	Sultanas (golden raisins)
		75g	4oz Orange peel, chopped	Glace cherries, rough chop
1/2				Rind of lemon
1/2			1/2 lemon	Lemon, juiced
			1/2t, 1/2t	Lemon oil, orange oil
			2T	vegetable oil
		90ml	6T brandy	Brandy or rum

Increase to whole lemon next time, and maybe increase lemon oil. 4T veg oil seemed OK. Try more currants, maybe 50%, and dried apricots. Also, try sweating all but one apple with lemon juice and spice to see if it can be made a little pulply, and then one apple in apple juice in pea-sized pieces. Try halving the white raisins (sultanas) and even the raisins if they seem big in comparison with the currants.Min
Next time, chop apple very finely and simmer before adding sugar. Granny Smiths may not pulp up so easily, and so the osmosis must be correct. Or they may not pulp up at all, and hence chop small.
In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the cider (apple juice) with the spice over a gentle heat.
Peel, core and roughly chop the apples and add them to the saucepan.
Then add all the other ingredients except the brandy or rum and simmer for 30 minutes or until everything looks pulpy.
Take off the heat and when it has cooled a little stir in the brandy or rum.
Stir into sterilized jars.
Makes about 2kg

Notes:

2006/11/28: Added 1/4 cup replacement water and 4T oil (probably too much). Cooked for 30mins while adding apple and before adding dried fruit. Then for something like 1hr. Apple (Granny Smith) was reluctant to become pulpy.