Homemade Mincemeat Recipe • Curious Cuisiniere (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade mincemeat keep for? ›

The containers you use must be scrupulously clean, so I like to use jars straight out of the dishwasher or I sterilise them in the oven. If you store it in a cool dark place the mincemeat will last for up to 1 year unopened. Once open store in the refrigerator and use within 3=4 months.

Ingredients: Water, Corn Syrup, Raisins, Dried Apples, Molasses, Corn Starch Modified, Distilled Vinegar, Dried Orange And Lemon Peel, Salt, Spices, Beef, Fruit Pectin, Natural Flavor.

Still, there are some decent substitutes that will get you close. Some recipes recommend using frozen butter as a substitute for suet, but this is risky as the butter melts much faster than suet and your dish will become greasy and heavy. If you can't find suet or you just don't want to use it, try shortening instead.

Mincemeat is a combination of chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar, nuts, distilled spirits, a fat of some type and sometimes meat. The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol.

Oxygen exposure changes meat colour

When myoglobin comes in contact with oxygen, it forms oxymyoglobin, which has the bright, red colour of beef. After several hours or days of exposure, the oxymoyoglobin can convert to metmyoglobin, which has a brown-grey colour.

Add onions and tinned tomatoes

If you want to make your meals go further then every time you make a mince dish you should add twice the amount of onions and two cans of tomatoes.

Mincemeat isn't difficult to make, but it has a lot of ingredients, which can make it expensive to produce in small batches, and it requires at least a day's advance planning to let the ingredients sit.

The mincemeat filling we know and love today includes ingredients like finely chopped dried fruits, candied orange, spices, sugar and nuts. Its name dates back to 15th century England when mincemeat would actually contain meat, unlike today's version found in our beloved modern mince pies.

Mix apples, diced beef, raisins, sugar, beef broth, orange sections, sorghum, pickle juice, pineapple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined. Store filling in the refrigerator or freeze until ready to use.

Mincemeat over time does deepen in colour but the bitter taste may be that you pressed too hard when the citrus zests were grated!

What is best mince meat? ›

The Chuck Steak is one of the best cuts to use for mince because it has great texture & flavour, grinding up perfectly. Enjoy making your favourite Spaghetti Bolognaise, Meatballs, Smash Burgers, Cottage Pies or Chilli Con Carnes for your family.

The recipe usually calls for suet but as this is made without any animal products, I have swapped the suet for coconut oil. Coconut oil has quite a distinctive taste so use the refined version if you would prefer it not to have a hint of coconut in the flavour.

Mince is ground or finely chopped meat. Mincemeat, if referring to the mincemeat in pies, is a mixture of finely chopped dried fruit, nuts, sugar, spices and alcohol, sometimes containing minced meat, sometimes not.

Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and often beef suet, usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Mincemeat formerly contained meat, notably beef or venison. Many modern recipes replace the suet with vegetable shortening.

I simply use clean sterilised screw-top jars saved from bought marmalade or jam. PREPARING AHEAD - Make the mincemeat up to six months ahead and store in a cool place. It's not necessary to freeze mincemeat as it stores so well.

Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Nigella Lawson recommends if you are following one of her recipes to bake mince pies then you should remember they are unlikely to last as long as those you buy in a shop, instead they will stay fresh in an "airtight container for up to one week".

It's easy to get ahead with mince pies in advance of Christmas as the mincemeat mixture may be made a month in advance, and the pies may be made and frozen, then cooked when needed. Or, once cooked, they will keep in an air-tight tin for 5 days; just pass them through the oven to freshen the pastry before serving.