Brandy + Ginger Christmas Fruit Mince

Rich aromatic fruit mince full of more than just raisins! Perfect for Christmas mince pies.

Ingredients:

• 375 grams grated apple
• 150 grams raisins
• 100 grams crystallised ginger, diced
• 150 grams currants
• 50 grams candied peel
• 100 grams dried cranberries
• 100 grams dried figs, diced
• 5 + 1/2 tablespoons (75 grams) butter
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 + 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of one orange
• 1/4 cup (60 mls) brandy

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• 4 to 5 one cup preserving jars
• Large heavy bottomed saucepan
• kitchen scale

Directions:

Heat the oven to 120C (250F). Wash and rinse 4 or 5 one cup preserving jars. Pop them in the oven on their sides to heat through. Pop the lids in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them.

Grate the apples into a large bowl. make sure you catch the juice.

Add the dried fruits and mix it about.

In a large saucepan melt the butter, water, sugar and spices together.

Simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Keep stirring so it doesn’t catch.

Add the fruits. Scrape in all the juices. A lot of liquid will come out of the apples. That’s fine.

Turn up the heat and simmer the mixture for 10 to 20 minutes. Everything should come together in a heady goo. Most of the liquid will have cooked off and the mixture should be thick and sticky like a chutney. Whether the apples break down will depend on the variety. Don’t worry about it.

Remove from the heat and add the orange zest and brandy. Stir to thoroughly combine.

Retrieve the hot jars from the oven and place on a folded towel. Spoon the mixture into the jars making sure not to leave air pockets. When you’re spooning it it give it a jiggle to help it settle.

Cover with the lids and seal. The flavour will develop over time so if you can, you should leave it for up to two weeks before using. Perfect timing for Christmas. Even if you can’t wait it’s still delicious.

Cook’s Notes:

• If you don’t need this to be shelf stable you can pop it all in a big jar in the fridge and use this holiday season.
• If you want to double or halve this recipe, scale it by weight to be sure the proportions are still correct.

 – If packed into properly sterilised jars this fruit mince will keep for several months. Refrigerate after opening – 

Adapted from a recipe my mother cut out of a magazine a zillion years ago.

© 2017 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.