Festive Fruit Mince Slice

'Tis the Season for Festive Feasting!

It's also the Season for Get-Togethers, Drop-Ins, Bring-a-Plates and various other gatherings. As anyone with InTolerances knows, there's very little chance of being offered anything other than a piece of fruit at these events, so it's always a good idea to take along a nice yummy that you can enjoy while proving  to others how delicious InTolerant cooking really can be


Mince Tarts are such an iconic Christmas offering that I was determined to make a huge pile of them to share with my friends and family this year. Then I realised- to make individual little babies would take quite a lot of time and energy, both of which are in short supply this time of year with all the running around I have to do... A quick re-think, and thus the Festive Fruit Mince Slice was born. All the same yumminess as a regular Mince Pie, but a lot less mucking about. Definitely something to be Merry about indeed!

Festive Fruit Mince Tart
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
250gm lactose free Spread
3 cups gluten free plain Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups gf and lf Fruit Mince either home made or pre-prepared


Pop the flour, sugar, spread and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor

Pulse it all until it comes together nicely
OR mix the ingredients together in a big bowl until they form a nice soft dough

Divide the dough in half, putting the half for the top in the fridge to chill until a bit firm

With the other half of the dough, push it out carefully and evenly to line the slice tray, then bake it at 170*C for about 30 minutes or until lightly set and slightly golden

Ooops! Can anyone spot my deliberate mistake? I stuck my pot-holder into the shortbread while I was pulling it out of the oven- just to demonstrate how very soft it still is until it cools, not because I'm a klutz or anything  :)
Let the shortbread cool in the tin until it firms up nicely :P

Spread the fruit mince over the base, leaving a thin margin of clear shortbread all the way around the edges. This will help the top to seal nicely and stop the fruit mince bubbling up over the edges and burning on the hot metal

Roll the top layer of dough out to an even sheet, then lay over the fruit mince. Pat it down carefully on the edges just to make sure it connects. Sprinkle the top with a bit more castor sugar for a pretty, glittery effect, then bake again for about 35 minutes or until the top is set and lightly golden

As I wanted a nice festive effect, I cut some shapes out of my dough before it was placed on top. I very kindly made another 'deliberate mistake' to then show you what would happen if you didn't chill the dough enough to set the shapes properly. Aren't I kind? The dough spread and instead of a scattering of snowflakes I ended up with a splodge of spider webs instead. Never mind, at least you won't make the same mistake :)

The finished item with it's spidery Halloween designs instead of Christmas ones- not as pretty but still as tasty!

This is a lovely 'short' pastry that crumbles quite easily, so it's a bit easier to slice it up once cooled. It's also perfect for dunking in a cup of Earl Grey tea in case you're interested. I leave mine in the fridge this time of year and it lasts for at least a week if I can control myself- but I make no promises!

So Dear Readers, what do you like to munch on to be Merry, and are you on top of your Christmas shopping yet?

Post Christmas Post

I have to admit, I'm a feeder.

I love to make mounds of food to love and nourish those I love, - and those lucky enough to come into the restaurant! I can't help it. I love to do it, and they have to eat anyway, so we might as well do it in style.

I perfectly understand that Christmas is about many other things than just food and presents, but this is a food blog after all, so this shall be my focus today.

Due to Unforeseen Circumstances (see previous post) and Major Complications with my oven, we 'decided' to enjoy our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day this year. My fantastically talented BigJ managed to source and install a brand new element for my oven on Christmas Eve, but it then had to be burnt in and tested and we made other arrangements for the big day. A few issues had to be faced as my oven is a European model and the element wasn't the exact match, but BigJ drew on his electrician roots and rose to the occasion.

Unfortunately, this did mean that we went without a gingerbread house this year and a few other seasonal goodies, but I promise we will make up for it during the year and just wait for next Christmas's bounty! I can assure you that we didn't actually feel the need for more food, there was certainly more than enough to go round!

This is what we enjoyed for our meal:

Roast Pork Belly - the crackle to meat ratio is unbeatable, and the meat is soft and juicy

Roast Chicken - stuffed with garlic and lemon to subtly flavour the meat

Baked Lamb - crispy skin, rosy flesh, always a favourite

Gluten Free Gravy - made with all the pan drippings, a splash of wine and roasted garlic

Baked Potatoes - cooked in duck fat for crispy outside and fluffy middle

Creamy Potato Bake - with lactose free cream and smoked ham

Tri Colour Carrots - yellow, purple and orange! Braised with baby leeks and garlic butter

Various Condiments - apple sauce, spicy plum sauce, mint jelly

Dessert: Frozen Berry Mess - tastier than it sounds! Chunks of meringue, berry sorbet, vanilla ice cream and raspberries deliciously mixed together

Drinks: for me- sparkling strawberry wine (a tradition) for him- apple cider, for the Juniors- sparkling apple and strawberry juice

We also had in reserve a huge smoked ham and a smoked leg of lamb, but decided that although the spirit was willing, the flesh was full, and we would enjoy these later in the week.

That is how we enjoyed our Christmas meal. The 4 of us. Anyone for leftovers?

So dear Readers, how much food did you stuff in- I mean enjoy- this Christmas?