Black Garlic Kitchen

Black Garlic Christmas Mincemeat

Black Garlic adds a savoury umami ‘je ne sais crois’ to this ‘no-cook’ traditional festive mincemeat. Perfect in Black Garlic Kitchen’s Savoury Mince Pies.

BGK’s Festive Fun Facts – Mincemeat is traditionally made in the UK on Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before advent. The tradition behind stirring mincemeat clockwise is to bring good luck and fortune in the coming year. It is also traditional for each family member to stir the mixture while making a wish! Eating a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas is also said to bring good luck too. The ingredients for mince pies can be traced back to the 13th century, when European crusaders brought back Middle Eastern recipes. The trio of mixed ground spices used – nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, is said to be symbolic of the gifts given to the Baby Jesus by the three wise men in Bethlehem.

Black Garlic Mincemeat

Prep: 15 mins + overnight macerating | Cook: none | Makes: 3 x 380ml jars approx. | V | Ve

Ingredients

  • 225g currants
  • 225g seedless raisins
  • 225g sultanas
  • 50g cut mixed peel – chopped
  • 50g crystallised ginger – finely chopped
  • 1 large Bramley apple – peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 50g dried apricots – finely chopped
  • 225g dark muscovado sugar
  • 1 orange – zested and juiced
  • 1 lemon – zested and juiced
  • 1 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 200ml brandy (plus extra if needed for maturing)
  • 100g vegetable suet
  • 15 cloves Black Garlic – chopped as finely as possible 

Method

  • Put everything except the suet and Black Garlic in a large mixing bowl. Leave to macerate for 24 hours.
  • When ready to ‘jar’ the mincemeat, add the suet and Black Garlic. Stir again until all the ingredients are well combined and the chopped Black Garlic is evenly distributed throughout the mix.
  • To sterilise the jars, preheat the oven to 130C/110fan/Gas½.
  • Wash the jars well with hot water then transfer to the preheated oven to dry.
  • Whilst the jars are still hot spoon the mincemeat into the sterilised jars. Seal immediately with tightly fitting lids.

To Store: Black Garlic Mincemeat can be stored in sterilised jars for three months in a cool, dark place. Once opened, store in a refrigerator and use within four weeks.

Top Tip: if the mincemeat starts to look dry as it matures, add a little extra brandy to loosen it.

To Use: use in BGK’s Black Garlic Savoury Mince Pies recipe (not vegan).

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