Mincemeat Crumble Slice (vegan, dairy free, egg free and nut free)

Yum

I know mincemeat slice doesn't sound very vegan, but honestly, this is mincemeat in the sweet sense; made of sultanas, raisins, apples and peel mixed with spices and is a staple of Christmas cooking in the UK.

I like this recipe for mincemeat from Pig in the Kitchen, but I've found most supermarket brands are actually vegan anyway.

I love making mince pies at Christmas time - I don't allow myself to do it until the 1st December though as it makes me feel Christmas is fully on the way then.  This mincemeat slice, however, is a lot less hassle, much faster and tends to be cooked as soon as I get my hands on a big jar of mincemeat in the supermarket!

Mincemeat Crumble Slice

Ingredients

500g Self Raising Flour
200g sugar
250g non-dairy margarine (I use solid Stork or Pure Spread)
100ml non-dairy milk, divided
600g mincemeat (about 1 and a 1/2 jars)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C

1.  Place the self raising flour, sugar and margarine in a Classic Batter bowl.  Use a Pastry Blender (my new favourite add on!) or a Mix n Masher to mix them together to create a sandy, breadcrumb mixture.

2.  Remove half the mix to another bowl.  Add 60ml non dairy milk to one of the bowls and mix it all together with your hands to create a dough.  Press this into the bottom of a Medium Bar Pan and smooth out to create the bottom layer.

3.  Spread the mincemeat across the layer of pastry and smooth out so there is an even layer.

4.  Now take the other half of the crumb mix and add 40ml non dairy milk.  You want to now create a rubble style of crumble with this, not a single ball but lots of little bits, so get your hands in and get squishing!  Spread this evenly across the mincemeat and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

5.  Leave in the bar pan to cool for about 15-20 minutes before cutting or it will crumble.  Use a Mini Serving Spatula to remove from the bar pan and serve. This keeps well in a sealed container for 3-4 days.

Apple Crumble (vegan, gluten free and nut free)

At this time of year my thoughts turn to comfort foods, and the use of seasonal staples such as apples and pears.

Apple Crumble and some amazing Raspberry IceDelight
(no colourings here - just naturally pink from the fresh raspberries!)

This week I've been playing with a wonderful selection of IceDelight flavours and I have plenty of other delights for you in the next few days along with a review of IceDelight for Real Foods. However, today I've been making Apple Crumble, one of the simplest and most comforting of desserts. I make mine completely plain, but you can add cinnamon for a bit of an apple pie style or any other autumnal fruit to boost the flavour.

I used wheat flour to make mine this time, but I have in the past used a plain gluten free flour mix and it has worked beautifully well, as it makes the topping lovely and short and light. I also didn't have enough Bramley apples so I used a selection of five from the fruit bowl today and no-one complained!

Apple Crumble

Ingredients

100g Solid Dairy Free Margarine (I use block Stork)
75g   Golden Sugar
175g Plain Flour (Wheat flour or Gluten Free)

3 to 4 cooking apples such as Bramley (or 5 eating apples)
Another teaspoon or two of sugar depending on how tat the apples are

Method

1. Put the margarine, sugar and flour in a Classic Batter Bowl.

2. Using a Pastry Blender, or your fingers, mix together until you have a sandy, fine textured crumb.

3. Peel and slice the apples and place in the bottom of a Mini Baker with a sprinkle of sugar.

4. Cover the apples with the crumble mix and give the surface some texture to give more crunch once baked.

5. Bake at 180°C for 40-50 mins until golden brown and crisp.

6. Serve with your favourite ice cream style dessert.  Our favourite at the moment is IceDelight from a farm just along the road at Belhaven in Dunbar. It complements the flavour of the apples beautifully and lifts the pudding into something really special.