Mincemeat/Pastry/Marzipan
A lower carb mincemeat recipe (use almond short crust pastry for mince pies)
220g cooking apples
150g stewed rhubarb
45g sultanas
45g currants
50g melted butter
finely grated zest of 1 orange
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
sweetener, liquid sweetener, about 2tsp or to taste
1 tbsp molasses
This has a total of 125 carbs for a 16fl oz jar as opposed to around 275 g carbs for a ready made jar from a well known supermarket
Peel and chop apples, microwave until soft, mix together with all the rest of the ingredients, spoon into a jar.
For best results leave overnight before using, must be stored in the fridge.
As always adjust the recipe to suit your taste, eg more or less or different spices, you can add more dried fruit, but it would increase the carb content, as it is the rhubarb works really well in this recipe.
I have baked some sample mince pies, in the middle of July (yeah I know ) people really liked them.
Low Carb Short Crust Pastry
1 cup of almond flour
20g of chilled butter, cubed
pinch of salt
approx 1 tbl of chilled water
1 tablespoon of sweetener for sweet crust
Mix almond flour, salt and sweetener. Cut in butter and rub butter into almond flour incorporating air as you go, gradually add water until it comes away from the bowl and forms a ball without being too sticky. Dust it with a little baking powder and keep it in the fridge for about 30 mins.
Dont roll it out, just cut off pieces and press into the mince pie tins, fill with the mince meat, bake in the oven at 180C, top with a marzipan star or you could faff around with the pastry to shape a star as topping.
Low Carb Marzipan
3 cups Fine Almond Flour
1 cup Powdered Splenda = place granulated Splenda in a food processor and whizz to make it into icing sugar, you need 1 cup icing sugar, you can use another sweetener but its got to be a granular type and one that measures spoon for spoon like sugar.
few drops of Almond Extract
1 egg White or use pasteurized egg white
Place 2.5 cups of the almond flour and all other ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all is combined. Sprinkle some of the remaining almond flour on your work surface and turn the marzipan out. Knead it through. Should it be a little to sticky, add more of the remaining almond flour until it is nice and pliable.
If your marzipan is too dry or crumbly add a tiny amount of water or egg white, but be careful not too much of it, knead it through carefully or you will end up with a very soggy, mushy mess.
