Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat
I used to be old-school about mincemeat, preferring the sort that is really no more than dried fruits stirred up with some brandy, grated apple and suet and stuffed into a jar. It’s certainly easy, since no cooking is involved, but Hettie (who’s had more than a walk-on part in every one of my books since How to Eat), introduced me to the notion of suet-free mincemeat, a recipe I used gratefully in How to be a Domestic Goddess, and which I’ve adapted here to make it garnet-glinting and tartly fruity with cranberries. I know this doesn’t make a huge amount, but it is enough to fill a good 50 of my little mince pies. It also happens to be the work—if you call tipping things into a pan and then scraping them out again, work—of moments, so if you need more (and it would be beautiful, in a jar, as a present), it’s not going to take much out of you. I love the louche, old-fashioned mixture of port and brandy (which used to be administered to children for tummy aches) but if you wish to be a little more austere, replace the ruby port with cranberry juice and add another 2 heaped teaspoons to the amount of brown sugar below.
NotesIf you want to revert to a more traditional, still suet-free, mincemeat, replace the fresh cranberries with a small grated Granny Smith apple and take out the dried cranberries, adding 2 tablespoons each of currants and raisins.
MAKE AHEAD TIP:
Make the mincemeat and spoon into sterilized jars. Seal with a lid and store in a very cool, dry place for up to 1 month. (An extra splash of brandy on top at this stage helps prevent the mincemeat from going moldy.)
Note: if using cranberry juice in place of port, store the mincemeat in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
FREEZE AHEAD TIP:
Make the mincemeat and spoon into a freezer-proof container or sealable bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and use immediately.
Cooking Methodpreserving
CostModerate
Total Timeunder 1 hour
Make Ahead RecipeYes
One Pot MealYes
Dietary Considerationegg-free, halal, kosher, lactose-free, peanut free, soy free, vegetarian
Taste and Texturefruity, sweet, winey
Type of Dishfruit
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ruby port
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup currants
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 clementine
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1/8 teaspoon or a few drops of almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the ruby port over a gentle heat.
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Add the cranberries to the saucepan.
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Then add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, with the currants, raisins and dried cranberries and the zest and juice of the clementines.
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Simmer for 20 minutes or until everything looks pulpy and has absorbed most of the liquid in the pan. You may need to squish the cranberries a little with the back of a wooden spoon to incorporate them.
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Take off the heat and, when it has cooled a little, stir in the brandy, almond and vanilla extracts and honey and beat once more, vociferously, with your wooden spoon to encourage it to turn into a berry-beaded paste.
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Spoon the mincemeat into jars.
2008, 2009 Nigella Lawson
