Making Pear Mincemeat for Christmas

A no fat recipe for making mincemeat using fruit. Christmas baking is known for its over generous use of often large amounts of butter, sugar, coconut, chocolate, nuts and all sorts of once a year specialty foods. It has taken a while (since January 2014) to lose and maintain a 30 pound weight loss and I am spending much time finding and experimenting with new low-fat-no-fat recipes. The baking aspect has certainly been a trial (with much error) to find delicious recipes with a resemblance of what we have eaten for decades, so I hope you will be pleasantly pleased and surprised with these two easy low fat recipes I have settled for this Christmas.

Christmas is also a time for remembering old friends and this recipe was given to me by a dear friend who was born in Russia in the 1920's. She was a wonderful cook who enjoyed trying new recipes, baking her own bread and always served a delicious cake or soup if you stopped by. This mincemeat recipe and the following muffin recipe are both from Natalie. Simple, nutritious and delicious and as always she was ahead of her time with no fat ingredients as there is no beef suet in this mincemeat. Here is her original mincemeat recipe without changes:

Mincemeat Ingredients

• 1 cup currants
• 1 cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots
• Juice & grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of pickling salt
• 4 and ½ lb of pears (10 Large)

Mincemeat Directions

1. Peel, core and chop pears to yield 10 cups
2. Stir into fruit mixture
3. Bring to boil in a large saucepan
4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes stirring occasionally
5. Uncover and continue to cook stirring for about 15 minutes until thick

If you are not going to use the mincemeat within a week spoon the hot mincemeat into warm sterilized canning jars, seal with tops and lids and boil for 20 minutes using the water bath canning method

Traditionally mincemeat was used to bake puddings and Christmas cake but this excellent mincemeat should be used all year. Another great gift suggestion.

Notes

• This recipe makes up approximately eight 1 pint jars (of 1 cup each)
• Organic pears, orange and lemon and sugar were used. If you own a  pear tree this is a great way to preserve, and use those extra pears

Links

• Fat content of beef suet
• The history of mincemeat
• Nutrition of pears and other information

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ...
Pears to make mincemeat

Other names for sulphite derivatives are : "potassium bisulphite, potassium metabisulphite, sodium bisulphite, sodium dithionite, sodium metabisulphite, sodium sulphite, sulphur dioxide and sulphurous acid"