Fruity Pear Mince (for fruit mince tarts)

Over the next couple of weeks I will be working on getting the rest of the recipes uploaded from my Christmas Cooking Class last year.  No Christmas class is complete without making fruit mince tarts … my family adore them!

So this is the recipe for the fruit mince I use and the pastry, which is in fact shortbread, will be uploaded soon.

There are many recipes around for fruit mince but the one I love the most first appeared in the Thermomix Festive Flavour cookbook some years ago, and has since appeared on the Recipe Community (see here ).

I have adapted the recipe to suit my own tastes and to make it nut free.  It will also give you plenty of fruit mince … about 4 cups in total.  So if I have any fruit mince left once the festive season is over I store it in the freezer until the following year.  It keeps beautifully and will be the first mince I use before making another batch.

Fruit mince can be used to fill tarts, folded through ice-cream, used as a topping on individual flavoured custards and sprinkled with toasted nuts, rolled inside scrolls to be baked, served as a jam (if you are serving adults fold through another dash of brandy) with toasted brioche and whipped maple ricotta ( see here)  … in fact there are so many uses it is handy to have on stand by during the festive season.  AND apart from that … it is soooo much nicer than store bought fruit mince as you know exactly what is in it.

You will need 230g juice from the lemons and oranges, so if you are a little over in one, and under in the other that is fine as long as there is 230g total.

Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Fruity Pear Mince (for fruit mince tarts)

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 cups

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 750 g pears peeled weight, cored and quartered
• 250 g golden caster sugar
• Zest of 1 orange I use a zester or Microplane
• 130 g craisins
• 160 g currants
• 50 g glace ginger chopped
• 100 g lemon juice approximately 2 lemons
• 130 g orange juice approximately 2 oranges
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbls brandy optional … but nice!

Method

 

1. Place pears into TM bowl and mix 2-3 seconds / speed 6, scrape around sides
2. Add sugar and repeat for 2-3 seconds / speed 6, scrape around sides
3. Add rest of ingredients except brandy, close lid and place basket on top
4. Cook 35 minutes / Veroma / reverse / speed 1
5. Pour into a glass bowl and add brandy if using
6. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate until needed

Notes

There are many recipes around for fruit mince but the one I love the most first appeared in the Thermomix Festive Flavour cookbook some years ago, and has since appeared on the Recipe Community.

I have adapted the recipe to suit my own tastes and to make it nut free. It will also give you plenty of fruit mince ... about 4 cups in total. So if I have any fruit mince left once the festive season is over I store it in the freezer until the following year. It keeps beautifully and will be the first mince I use before making another batch.

Fruit mince can be used to fill tarts, folded through ice-cream, used as a topping on individual flavoured custards and sprinkled with toasted nuts, rolled inside scrolls to be baked, served as a jam (if you are serving adults fold through another dash of brandy) with toasted brioche and whipped maple ricotta ( see here) ... in fact there are so many uses it is handy to have on stand by during the festive season. AND apart from that ... it is soooo much nicer than store bought fruit mince as you know exactly what is in it.

You will need 230g juice from the lemons and oranges, so if you are a little over in one, and under in the other that is fine as long as there is 230g total.