Makes 3 x Ironclad Jr or 1 x Lil’ Legacy.
Thank you Ceres for stocking our pantry with the most delicious range of ingredients, so we could make our best Ironclad Christmas Mince Pies ever!
Why so good? It’s just that winning combination of sweet, sticky, boozy, organic fruit and nut mix encased in buttery crispy pastry and served with dollops of soft velvety whipped coconut cream that means your (vegan) Christmas will be the tastiest on record!
If the vegan element is not so important to you, replace the vegan butter in the pastry with regular butter. The filling recipe makes more than enough to fill the pastry shells plus fill a few jars on top. The fruit mince makes a very delicious gift or or you can make another two batches of pies.
INGREDIENTS
FILLING
1 c Ceres raisins
1 c Ceres sultana
½ c Ceres dried cranberries
½ c Ceres dried blueberries
½ c Ceres dried tart cherries
½ c Ceres dried apricots, chopped roughly
1 c Ceres brazil nuts, chopped roughly and toasted
2 lemons, juice and zest
2 oranges juice and zest
1½ c Ceres coconut sugar
2 t ground allspice
½ t ground star anise
½ t ground nutmeg
2 t ground cinnamon
2 t ground ginger
4 T coconut oil
1
½ c sherry, port, brandy or rum or more orange juice
1 green apple, grated
PASTRY
1½ c white flour
½ c ground almonds
¼ c raw sugar
½ t salt
120g vegan butter chilled and chopped into walnut size pieces
5 T ice cold water
WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM
1 tin Ceres Coconut Cream, chilled overnight.
1 t vanilla
METHOD
To make the filling combine all ingredients in your Ironclad Old Dutch Pot and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Mix well and leave to cool. Add the grated apple then refrigerate overnight.
To make the pastry, blitz all ingredients aside from the chilled water, in a high speed mixer until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Pulse in the water until the dough forms a ball.
Remove from the mixer, wrap and chill for at least half an hour.
Heat oven to 160 °C.
Lightly grease your pans.
Split the pastry into two thirds and one third.
Sprinkle the bench top liberally with flour or ground almonds and roll out the larger piece of pastry. Cut into rounds and line the bottom of the pan(s) with pastry, then fill to nearly the top of the pan with the fruit mince filling.
Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into even strips, then lattice the top of the pie(s).
Brush the pastry with plant milk or milk and bake for 40 minutes until the pastry is brown and the fruit is sizzling.
Whilst the pie(s) cooks whip the cream by chilling a bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes then beating the hardened coconut cream (do not pour any of the watery juice into the bowl) and vanilla together with an egg beater till stiff peaks form. Store in fridge until ready to use.
Dust the pies with icing sugar and serve hot to the table with lashings of whipped cream of your choice.
