Simple and delicious Christmas fare

Joan Bishop
Joan Bishop

The idea of making your own mincemeat can seem a little daunting, but the following is the easiest preserve in the world, Joan Bishop writes.

The mincemeat contains no suet and does not need cooking. The fruit is chopped into small pieces in a food processor. Sugar, spices, citrus and brandy are added and the mixture is pulsed together for a second or two. Your Christmas mincemeat is now ready to use.

Spicy mixed-fruit preserves originally contained minced meat mixed with dried fruit, sugar and spices and by the 16th century little pies filled with mincemeat had become a Christmas specialty. A century or so later and the beef was often replaced with suet.

The sharp tang of dried apricots, the zing of ginger and the sweetly citrus-flavoured cranberries all add to the intensity of flavour in this glossy, dark, aromatic mincemeat. However, other dried fruits may be substituted as long as the total weight is 600g.

As I have used a lot less sugar than is usual in this preserve, I wasn't sure how well it would keep. Stored in a screw-top glass jar in the fridge it kept very well for three months.

I love Christmas mincemeat and making the mincemeat was a breeze, but I didn't have the time or want the fiddle of making little mince pies.

So I decided that as gingerbread too was traditional Christmas fare I would combine it with the mincemeat.

I infused a meltingly tender gingerbread cake with the mincemeat and I think it was an inspired idea (not very modest I know, but I was so delighted with the success of this experiment).

The cake is a simple one to make and as it bakes it fills the house with spicy Christmas smells.

This fragrant festive cake is a delectably delicious way to end dinner and divine with coffee.

If you have mincemeat left, whip up a batch of your favourite sweet muffins. Half fill each muffin tin with the muffin mixture and put in 1-2 teaspoonfuls of mincemeat. Cover each with a spoonful of the muffin mixture and bake until risen and golden.

 


Mincemeat-infused gingerbread cake

Cuts into 16 slices

The cake is simple to make and fills the home with spicy Christmas smells. Photo: Christine O'Connor
The cake is simple to make and fills the home with spicy Christmas smells. Photo: Christine O'Connor

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour
¼ tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mixed spice
80g butter, cubed, softened
90g dark cane sugar
120g treacle
2 large eggs, size 7
125ml natural Greek yoghurt
250g mincemeat

To decorate
icing sugar
Jaffas
holly leaves   


Method

Preheat the oven to 180degC.

Line the base of a 20cm ring tin with non-stick baking paper and lightly oil the sides.

Sift flour, baking soda, ginger and mixed spice into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Beat together the butter, sugar and treacle until light and thick. The mixture will curdle but this does not matter. It will smooth out when you add the flour. Add the eggs and beat well, add the yoghurt and beat until just combined. Add the dry ingredients, and gently stir together until just combined. Do not overmix.

Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth. Put spoonsful of the mincemeat on top and spread evenly over. Top with remaining cake mixture, spreading evenly so the top is smooth.

Bake at 180degC for 35-40 minutes until golden brown, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the cake is browning too much during the last 10 minutes of cooking, cover with baking paper. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.

Slide a knife between the side of the tin and the cake to loosen it. Carefully turn the cake out, peel off the baking paper and turn cake right side up.

When cool store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Chilling dulls flavours so remove from the fridge about an hour before serving.

Sieve a little icing sugar over the cake. Arrange Jaffas and holly leaves on top.

Serve with a spoonful of cream or yoghurt.

 


 

Christmas mincemeat

Makes 4½ cups

Ingredients 

2 small tart apples (260g total) preferably Granny Smiths, peeled, cored, quartered
100g New Zealand dried apricots, halved
100g orange-flavoured dried cranberries
100g crystallised ginger
100g pitted prunes
100g raisins
100g dried currants
70g dark cane sugar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
100ml brandy
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
3-4 Tbsp lemon juice  

 

Method 

Place the apple quarters into the food processor bowl and pulse three or four times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse a time or two more. The apple should be chopped finely but not pureed. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add all of the dried fruit, sugar, spices, brandy, orange zest, lemon zest and 3 Tbsp lemon juice. Pulse a few times until finely chopped and combined.

Tip into the bowl containing the chopped apple and stir until well-mixed. The mincemeat should be moist and juicy. Add remaining lemon juice if needed. (The moisture content of dried fruit varies).

To make without a food processor, finely chop or grate the apple. Place in a large bowl. Chop the dried apricot, cranberries, ginger, prunes and raisins into small pieces and add to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

The mincemeat is now ready to use. If not needed immediately, spoon into glass jars and cover with lid.

This will keep for three months if refrigerated.


 

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