Cluck, Muck & Cook

Baking & Foodie Blog From Sunny Brentwood Essex

Mincemeat

5 Traybakes

Christmas Mincemeat Crumble Traybake

It has come to my favourite time of year. I like to call it the pre Christmas taste test. All the my regular sandwich shops have brought out their Christmas sandwiches. The supermarkets are battling for the best mince pie and Christmas pudding. Of course all of which I have to test myself and give the CluckMuckCook seal of approval.

Christmas Mincemeat Crumble Bars

Which means I will need to up the dog walking to counteract the pre Christmas feasting. Chester the cockerpoo will be happy about that on two fronts. Firstly he snuffles his way in to some testing titbits and secondly he loves a nice long romp over the local forest chasing squirrels and deer.

Chester Cockerpoo

But more importantly Pret A Manger bring out the Christmas crimble crumble bar which ends up a regular afternoon treat with a nice cappuccino. This year I thought I would try and make a quick and easy version. Rather than a shortbread base and a crumble, I made a big crumble mix, half of which gets pressed firmly into the baking tin and the other half gets sprinkled lightly over the top. Which does make these extra crumbly.

Christmas Mincemeat Crumble Bars

This is super quick to make. If you do not have a food processor, just rub in the butter, flour and sugar to form fine breadcrumbs, then mix in the spice and nuts.

Makes 12 slices
Oven Temp: Gas 5, 350F, 180C (160C Fan)

Ingredients:
250g self-raising flour
225g butter
50g light brown sugar
50g pecan nuts
1 tsp mixed spice
400g mincemeat
Caster or demerara sugar to sprinkle

Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan
2.Grease and line the base of a rectangular tin, 28 x 18 x 3cm, with baking parchment.
3.Place the flour, sugar, spice, nuts and butter in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4.Tip half of the mixture into the tin and press down with the back of a large metal spoon.
5.Spread mincemeat over the top then sprinkle the remaining crumble mix over the mincemeat, so it is covered.
6.Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top.
7.Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.

Christmas Mincemeat Crumble Traybake
 
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Delicious alternative to a mince pie , Super crumbly and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 225g butter
  • 50g light brown sugar
  • 50g pecan nuts
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 400g mincemeat
  • Caster or demerara sugar to sprinkle
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan
  2. Grease and line the base of a rectangular tin, 28 x 18 x 3cm, with baking parchment.
  3. Place the flour, sugar, spice, nuts and butter in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  4. Tip half of the mixture into the tin and press down with the back of a large metal spoon.
  5. Spread mincemeat over the top then sprinkle the remaining crumble mix over the mincemeat, so it is covered. 6.Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.

 

3 Condiments

Christmas Mincemeat

Stir up Sunday is just around the corner. My last Bramley apples are just falling off the tree . The baking cupboard is full of odds and sods of dried fruits that never get quite used up. Supermarkets have started the Christmas push and it is not even November yet. The morning is misty and Autumnal. It feels like a perfect day to make some mincemeat, so it can mature in time for mice pies or a Christmas version of a Pain Aux Raisin.

Christmas Mincemeat

Christmas Mincemeat

When I lived in Chicago, my US colleagues were often cautious when I announced I was making mince pies, convinced I would be hiding some form of meat in a sweet pie! The 1861 volume Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management called for beef suet and rump steak mixed in with the dried fruit and spice. However my version is packed full of fruit and uses butter instead of suet, not an ounce of meat in sight. Plus a very healthy glug or three of alcohol. Traditionally Brandy but today I substituted the brandy for some damson vodka I made last year. Sherry, Port, Rum or Whiskey all work well.

Christmas Mincemeat

Christmas Mincemeat

The joy of making your own mincemeat is that you can tweak it to your liking. I am not a big fan of almonds so I have substituted in pecan nuts. I have dialed down the mixed peel and thrown in a handful of glacé cherries. As long as the overall weight of dried fruit adds up to total in the recipe, play around with the ratios of fruits.

Makes: 4 Jars
Ingredients
175g currants
175g raisins
175g sultanas
175g dried cranberries
50g mixed peel
50g glace cherries, chopped in quarters
1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
125g butter
50g chopped pecan nuts
225g light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 lemon
200ml brandy (or alcohol of your choice)

Instructions
1. Gently heat the butter, sugar, spices, juice and zest of the lemon until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the brandy/alcohol into the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool a little and then stir in the alcohol.
4. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jam jars. Put on the lid and store in a cool place. These will improve with age and will store well for up to 6 months in a cool place.

Christmas Mincemeat
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
The 1861 volume Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management called for beef suet and rump steak mixed in with the dried fruit and spice. However my version is packed full of fruit and uses butter instead of suet, not an ounce of meat in sight. Plus a very healthy glug or three of alcohol
Author:
Serves: 4 jars
Ingredients
  • 175g currants
  • 175g raisins
  • 175g sultanas
  • 175g dried cranberries
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 50g glace cherries, chopped in quarters
  • 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 125g butter
  • 50g chopped pecan nuts
  • 225g light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 lemon
  • 200ml brandy (or alcohol of your choice)
Instructions
  1. Gently heat the butter, sugar, spices, juice and zest of the lemon until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the brandy/alcohol into the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
  3. Allow the mixture to cool a little and then stir in the alcohol.
  4. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jam jars. Put on the lid and store in a cool place. These will improve with age and will store well for up to 6 months in a cool place.
Notes
Stores well in a cool dark place for 6 months