Homemade British Inspired Holiday Mincemeat

When I did my junior year abroad in London, I made a major discovery that has forever changed the holiday season for me. I went for afternoon tea, right around Christmas, and I ate my first mince pie. Being a naive American, I was hesitant at first, thinking that there was actual meat inside this sweet pie, but to my delight, it was filled with sweet nutty dried fruit goodness! From that moment on, I was hooked. Sadly, mince pies are a British staple, not an American, so I knew that mince pies would not be as readily available back home...so I must come up with a solution. Of course, my good 'ol friend Gordon Ramsay came through with his mincemeat/mince pie recipe.

For three years now, I have been making this recipe and I have been making Gordon' mince pies and palmiers as well! Unlike stuff you get in a jar, I find that my mincemeat has a fresher taste and you can actually identify what's in it. When I look at the jarred stuff in the store, it reminds me of mystery brown sludge. I love my mincemeat recipe, which I modified from Gordon. I intend to make this every Christmas, until I am too old and forget how to! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 3 apples (I like Pink Ladies), peeled and grated
- 3 unwaxed lemons, zested and juiced
- 3 oranges (I use naval), zested and juiced
- 12 oz (about 1.5 cup) brown sugar*
- 1 cup chopped apricots*
- 1 cup raisins*
- 1 cup golden raisins*
- 1 cup cranberries*
- 2/3 cup flaked almonds*
- cinnamon, allspice, & nutmeg, to taste
- 1 stick melted and cooled salted butter
(today I only used a 1/2 stick, because I found something called "brandy butter" and the store and wanted to try it.) 
- a splash of rum, amaretto, and brandy
*You can change these quantities, depending upon what you want in your mince. 
These are just what I used.

Directions:
1. Peel and grate the apples.
2. Zest the lemons and oranges. Mix the grated apples and citrus zest.
3. Cut the lemons and oranges in half and juice them.
4. Add juice to the apples and citrus zest.
5. Prepare the dry ingredients and add them to the bowl.
dried apricots
dried cranberries
golden raisins
raisins
brown sugar
almonds
spices

6. Heat the butter in the microwave, then allow it to come to room temperature. Then add to mixture

7. Add the various alcohol. I wouldn't go too crazy, but be sure to taste your mince!

8. That's it. You're done. You should have a fair amount left over. This usually lasts me about a week or so, depending on what I may and how often I am baking. I would let your mincemeat sit in the fridge AT LEAST 24 hours. The long you let it sit, the better it will taste. Also, you may find it a bit liquidy, don't worry. Think of the extra fluid and extra flavor! 

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