Bob's Sweet Mincemeat

Ingredients:

• 650g light brown sugar


• 2kg dried fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins)


• 100g candied peel


• 75g flaked almonds


• 4 medium apples. peeled and cored


• 3 lemons


• 2 heaped tablespoons cinammon


• 1 tablespoon mixed spice


• Bushmills Whiskey

Method:

• Roughly chop all the dried fruits, almonds, candied peel and apples in a food processor.


• Place in a large container (one that has a lid)


• Sprinkle in the zest of the lemons, the sugar and spices and mix thoroughly.


• Pour in the juice from the lemons and mix again.


• Splash some whiskey over it all and mix again.


• Cover and place in a cool area for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more whiskey if desired.


• Spoon into sterile, air-tight jars and keep in a cool place until needed. (Makes about 6 large-ish jars)

You Won't Believe Your Mince Pies

Mince pies are an integral part of a British Christmas, but are almost unheard of in the South of France.  For those of you that don't know, they are a sweet pie usually made with a shortcrust pastry and filled with a confiture of dried fruits called 'sweet mincemeat' (for reasons that escape me). And whiskey.  In our house there's always whiskey.

In the UK ready-made mince pies will be stacked to the supermarket ceilings by now but there are those who still make their own, using jars of shop-bought mincemeat.  Before we moved to France it never occurred to me to make my own mincemeat, but the prospect of a Christmas without mince pies did not bear countenance.

Traditionally, sweet mincemeat has suet in it, but this again is not available here and I have found that if enough moisture is added in the form of lemon juice and whiskey then it makes no difference to the taste or texture, and you have cut out unnecessary fats.

I would have loved to have shown you a picture of this year's first batch of mince pies but, as usual, the camera cable is AWOL, despite nobody apparently having touched it.

Recipe for sweet mincemeat is here.  Sweet shortcrust pastry favoured by me and mine is here. Last year I made over 240 mince pies. So far this year: 24 and counting........