Traditional Mincemeat Recipe

Enlarge Image Image Gallery There’s nothing sweeter than fresh fruit in the summertime, whether it’s strawberries straight from the vine or raspberries from your local market. With more than 100 recipes for jams, jellies, preserves, and chutneys, “Jams and Preserves” lets you eat your favorite fruits and vegetables whenever you crave them. Courtesy Thunder Bay Press

Make savory pies and tarts with this flavorful mincemeat filling. This Traditional Mincemeat Recipe is excerpted from Jams and Preserves (Thunder Bay Press, 2011), a cookbook that lets you defy the seasons and preserve the flavors of fruit and vegetables for months with jams, jellies, preserves and more. 

Traditional mincemeat recipe

Ingredients
2 large green apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
8 ounces suet
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 cups raisins
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups currants
3/4 cup candied peel
3/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons shredded orange peel
1 teaspoon shredded lemon peel
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 fluid ounces brandy

Combine all the ingredients and 1/2 cup of the brandy in a large bowl. Combine thoroughly.

Spoon the mincemeat into clean, warm jars. Use a skewer to remove air bubbles and to pack the mixture in firmly. Leave a 1/2-inch space at the top of the jar and wipe the jar clean with a cloth. Spoon remaining brandy over the surface of the mincemeat and seal. Label and date.

Set aside for at least 3 weeks, or up to 6 months, before using in pies and tarts. Keep the mincemeat refrigerated in hot weather.

Traditional Mincemeat Recipe: preparation 20 minutes • no cooking required

More delicious recipes

Find more wonderful fruit and vegetable recipes from Jams and Preserves in the following articles.

Blueberry Preserves Recipe
Chow Chow Recipe 

This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from Jams and Preserves, published by Thunder Bay Press, 2011.