Last year was my first time making mince meat and, indeed, mince pies. I really enjoyed the whole process of making the mince at home, using really good brandy or cognac, the smell of the spices… I love making things that require time, marinating, fermenting… there’s something so special about the time that goes into it.
Mince pies were absolutely not a ‘thing’ in the USA when I was growing up, so we never had them at the holiday season. When I first moved here, I didn’t like them, “Too fruity!”, but now I appreciate the flavours and the delicate balance of the sweet, light crust against the dark fruits and alcohol. Cream on top is a must, ice cream would be even better.
I’m serving these with a simple stage 1 fermented cashew cream sweetened with maple and with some orange zest through it – easy!
Mince Pies
Ingredients
Sweet & Spiced Mince Meat
FIRST SET
- 50g coconut sugar
- 150mls brandy or cognac
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 star anise
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon quill
- Pinch salt
SECOND SET
- 150 g dried figs, stems removed and chopped
- 150 g dried dates, pitted and chopped
- 75 g raisins
- 75 g dried cherries
Mince Pie Filling
- 300 g marinated mince from recipe above
- 50 ml orange juice or fruit marinating liquid
- 50 g walnuts, soaked 8 hours
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
Mince Pie Crust and Assembly
Wet
- 100 g water
- 15 g cold pressed sesame or nut oil
- 75 g light maple syrup
- 75 g cashews, soaked 1 hr and rinsed
- 15 g psyllium husk
Dry
- 45 g oat flour + more for rolling
- 60 g ground almonds
- 25 g coconut flour
Instructions
Sweet & Spiced Mince Meat
- Wrap the whole spices up in a piece of cheesecloth and tie a knot in the top. This will save you fishing them out later when you want to use the mix.
- Combine first set of ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer 5 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to come to room temp. The point of this is to cook out the alcohol and allow the spices to open up in the liquid.
- Add all other remaining ingredients to the brandy and stir to combine.
- Marinate the fruit for at least 24 hours in the fridge and up to 3 days. Remove the spice parcel before using in the filling recipe below.
Mince Pie Filling
- Strain the mince to remove excess juices.
- In a food processor combine all ingredients and and pulse to break down the fruits and nuts to a chunky consistency.
- Taste and adjust as necessary. You might like to add some more sweetener at this stage or more spices.
Mince Pie Crust and Assembly
- Blend the first set of wet ingredients, except the psyllium, until smooth.
- Add the psyllium and pulse to incorporate.
- Mix the last set of dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the contents of the blender and mix well with your hands until it comes together.
- Allow to sit 2-5 minutes to firm up into a rollable ball.
- Flour the dough with oat flour.
- Roll it out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into a circle slightly larger than your tin (s) and cut a few stars or other shapes for using as a “lid” or garnish on top of the pies. I used these tart forms.
- Repeat cutting circles and shapes until dough is used up.
- Gently press the crust into the forms and cut away any excess using a knife. Smooth it down with a little water as needed to keep it looking nice.
- Dry at 150f for 4-6 hours or until firm enough to remove from the rings. Remove by running a thin paring knife between the crust and form.
- Allow to cool before filling with the mincemeat recipe above.
- You can dehydrate them for 15-30 minutes prior to serving. Dust with powdered xylitol through a fine sieve for a festive look.
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