Mincemeat
You can swap out any finely-diced fruits, like I did, although to be close to authentic, it should be pretty raisin-heavy. I’ve seen recipes using everything from dried cranberries, figs, and prunes.
In England, one can buy vegetarian suet, which I’ve never used, but folks say that it works well. I was also thinking that coconut oil might work, so if anyone experiments with that, I’d be interested in knowing the results. You can also make my Quick Mincemeat, which has no fat or animal products.
- 8 ounces (225g) dark raisins
- 8 ounces (225g) currants
- 4 ounces (110g) golden raisins, (sultanas)
- 1 large, firm apple; unpeeled, quartered, cored, and diced
- 2 ounces (55g) candied orange peel, chopped
- 4 ounces (110g) suet, grated or finely-chopped
- 1 cup (215g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg & allspice
- zest and juice of one lemon
- zest and juice of one orange
- 3 tablespoons brandy
- Mix all the ingredients together, except for the brandy.
- Heat on the stovetop until the suet has completely melted and the mixture is heated through.
- Remove from heat, cool, then stir in the brandy. Pack into a jar and refrigerate.
Notes
It’s best to let mincemeat stand at least a couple of weeks before using. I store mine in the refrigerator, and have kept it for up to one year. If you’re interest in canning it, you can find USDA approved canning methods.
Mincemeat can be crumbled into apple pie or crisp, or baked by itself, or with sliced apples between two layers of pie dough to make a mincemeat pie.