Mince Pie Slice and other Festive things..

                                                                                     Happy Christmas!

So what are you doing on Christmas day?  Are you hosting a big family ‘shebang’ or perhaps visiting friends? Perhaps you are recovering from a very hectic year and hiding out with a chocolate cake and a bottle of wine! Or maybe you are braving the masses and going to a restaurant?

In years past my husband takes over the kitchen for Christmas. He goes all out with the roast turkey or roast pork, ham and all the trimmings. Depending on who is here, there may be 4 – 15 people and the only thing I am responsible for is the Christmas pudding and brandy sauce, which are always made ahead, so I get to be superfluous for the day!

More recently we have been away over Christmas, which has been lovely experiencing it in different cultures and weathers. I am reminiscing fondly about my very first white Christmas last year. This year we are going away again but travelling late on Christmas day so a big hoo-ha is out of the question. Instead, we’re having a very relaxed breakfast. I plan on cooking a big batch of pesto scrambled eggs served with fresh ham off the bone and perhaps some fruit salad and granola with coconut yoghurt. While the kids go off to their respective girl-friends’ houses later in the day, I plan on packing for our trip and maybe kicking back with a video or two with my brother, who is coming to house sit.

Inevitably scrambled eggs is not going to last us all day, so I will make an easy salad and perhaps some cheesy bread to go with it. The aim, though, is to be relaxed and stress free. I am so relaxed about it, that when I went to make mince pies yesterday, I was too lazy to roll the dough* and line pie tins, so I made a gluten-free fruit mince slice instead: it tastes just a yummy with less effort. Home-made mince is much better but picking up a jar of the bought stuff is easier if you haven’t got the time or inclination!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends, thank you very much for your support and good wishes throughout the year. I look forward to sharing many more culinary and healthful delights with you in 2016.

100g rice
25g linseeds
50g buckwheat
120g raw almonds
80g tapioca flour
pinch salt
80g coconut sugar
180g cold butter or ghee
1 egg

Homemade fruit mince – about 1 cup

Mill the rice & linseeds on SP 9 for 1 minute. Add the buckwheat, almonds and sugar and mill for 30 seconds on SP 9. Add the tapioca,  salt, egg & butter and mix on SP 6 until it just comes together as a dough. It will be soft and not too sticky.

Press 2/3 of the dough into a rectangular tray and prick with a fork. Bake at 165°C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread a layer of fruit mince over the top. Crumble over the remaining dough and bake for a further 15 minutes until the top is lightly brown.

This is delicious served warm with ice-cream but will be quite crumbly to cut. It slices much better cold and I like to serve it with a cup of tea!

*If you are inclined to make mince pies, I would use this grain-free recipe for the pastry.