20 December

The heart that gives, gathers. – Tao Te Ching

Mince Pie Recipe

(gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, nut-free)

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What would Christmas be without mince pies?

Key: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free

Makes: 12 mince pies.

If you have mincemeat leftover you can keep in the fridge for up to a week for a fresh batch of mince pies later, or stir it into your homemade Vanilla Ice Cream before freezing for a delicious Christmas dessert.

(A recipe for Dairy-free Vanilla Ice Cream can be found in my book. Alternatively use this recipe and omit the chai tea.)

INGREDIENTS

(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)

FOR THE PASTRY:

3 C. Cassava Flour
150g ghee
2 t. guar gum
seeds of 1 vanilla pod
¼ – ½ C. xylitol (depending on how sweet you want it)
6 egg yolks
7 T. water
1 whisked egg (for brushing the pastry)
4 T. xylitol (ground), additional to the above for dusting

FOR THE FILLING:

1 heaped cup raisins*
½ C. sour cherries*, chopped
1 C. dried cranberries*
1 C. dried apricots*, chopped
1 banana, mashed
1 apple, peeled and finely grated
Zest of 2 lemons
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon powder
2 T. raw honey

*Preservative- and sugar-free. If your little one is still very young, you may want to chop all the dried fruit in a food processor.

METHOD

Filling:

The filling needs to be made the day ahead to allow the flavours to develop.
Its really very simple – add all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well, place in a sealed container in the fridge overnight.

Pastry:

Place the cassava flour, ghee, guar gum, vanilla seeds and xylitol in a food processor and blend until you have a bread crumb-like texture. Transfer this to a mixing bowl.
Stir in the egg yolks and then work the dough with your hands to bring it together.
Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, working it into the dough until it holds together. You may not need all 7 tablespoons.
Cover the dough and leave to chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Mince Pies:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease your muffin tray.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out between two sheets of baking paper.
Using a pie / cookie cutter, cut out 12 large circles and 12 stars.
Place a pastry circle in each of the muffin cups, pushing them in with your fingers.
Fill the pastry cups with mince meat.
Place a pastry star on top and brush this pastry with the whisked egg.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden.
Allow the mince pies to cool in the muffin tray before removing.
Dust with ground xylitol, and enjoy!

Mila's Meals Mince Pies ready for the oven

Mila’s Meals Mince Pies – YUM!

Do you wonder why they are called Mince Pies when there is no mince? Or are your children asking you why?

According to Wikipedia “The ingredients for the modern mince pie can be traced to the return of European crusaders from the Holy Land. Middle Eastern methods of cooking, which sometimes combined meats, fruits and spices, were popular at the time.”

When they originated in the 13^th century they were filled with mincemeat – mixed with alcohol, fruits and spices to help preserve them.

Before you take your fist bite – according to tradition, you must make a wish when eating your first mince pie of the season.

Best you get baking because ‘they’ also say that if you eat a mince pie for the 12 days of Christmas (from Christmas day to the 5th January) you will have happiness for the next 12 months.

Enjoy!