The Healthy Chef – Teresa Cutter

The post comes in 2 parts. Today I give you my recipe for my fruit mince and then later this week I’ll show you how to put it all together with a variety of pastry options.  Every year I make my own fruit mince so that I can create my own delicious fruit mince pies over the Christmas Break. The fruit mince is  very simple to make yourself and so much lovelier and healthier than store bought versions from the supermarket. The secret is all in the apple you choose.  Make sure to go for sweet varieties such as golden delicious, pink lady of fuji as they will create the perfect balance of flavour.

As a pastry chef you need to be patient when you embark on cooking in the kitchen. You need to keep a watchful eye on your fruit mince and give it a good stir every now and again, making sure the mixture does not stick to the base of your pot.  If  your apple juice starts to evaporate quickly, just add a little more juice or even some water to keep your fruit plump and moist. After about 1 hour you will see your fruit mince creation come to life and the aroma of spices will fill the house. Now at this stage you can also add a generous splash of calvados – which is a delicious French style apple brandy that will add a touch of festive cheer, but that’s totally your call.  Stay tune toward the end of this week where I give you my personal recipe for delicious fruit mince pies.

What’s good about it:
The best thing about this fruit mince is that there is no added suet, making it a whole lot healthier than traditional versions that can clog arteries and leave that awful greasy taste in the mouth. The sweetness comes naturally from fresh and sun-ripened fruit so you don’t need to add any extra sugar. Spices can stimulate gastric mobility and digestion after your Christmas feast.

Fruit mince:

500 g (17  1/2 oz) apples, finely diced with the skin (golden delicious, pink lady) are naturally sweet and delicious
250 g (8  3/4 oz)  raisins
100 g (3  1/2 oz)  cranberries or sun-dried cherries
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 orange (you will need the zest from ½ orange)
500 ml (2 cups / 17  1/2 fl oz)  fresh apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

Combine the apples, raisins and cranberries into a pot.
Add the apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and the zest from 1 orange.
Cover the pot and simmer over a gentle heat for 30 minutes, making sure to stir every now and then. Make sure not to boil too fast, just a slow gentle simmer.
Add more apple juice if need  to keep the mixture plump and moist then simmer for another 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool.  Now at this stage your fruit mince will be ready to enjoy – but for those who want to add that festive cheer, you can stir through a generous splash of calvados ( apple brandy).
Your fruit mince is now ready and it’s delicious made into pies, tarts or folded into Christmas Baked muffins.

STAY TUNE FOR THE END OF THIS WEEK FOR MY ULTIMATE FRUIT MINCE TART RECIPE.

Notes: The fruit mince will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
the recipe makes enough for 40 fruit mince pies:

Nutrition info per 20 g serve (1 tablespoon)
Protein: 0.2 g
Total fat: 0.1 g
Saturated: 0
Carbs: 7.7 g
Sugars: 7.5 g
Fibre: 0.7 g
Calories: 31.4
kilojoules: 132

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