Sat, December 24th, 2005

It’s Never Too Late To Build A Mince Pie

The future … seems to me no unified dream but a mince pie, long in the baking, never quite done. — Edward Young

You can give these pies to your loved ones, and they’ll never suspect they’re raw unless you decide to tell them! These pies are causing quite a stir in households and offices across the land

Yields 10 – 12 pies

For the crust

2 cups cashews
1 cup oat flour*
1/4 cup agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed.
Press the mixture into a tart/muffin tray that has been lined in cling film (plastic wrap) and dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 2 – 3 hours.
Remove the crusts from the pan and dehydrate for a further 8+ hours on the mesh dehydrator sheet.

*Raw out flour is made by milling raw oats in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender. If you don’t have raw oats available and you don’t mind using oats that have been steamed to preserve shelf life, then non-raw oats will also work.

For the filling

1 1/2 cups soft dates, stones and flowers removed
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
Pinch of salt
2 apples, chopped small
1 cup raisins, roughly chopped

Grind all ingredients, except the apple and raisins, until they form a paste.
Add in the apple and raisins and process for a further 5 – 10 seconds until fully combined.
Fill each of the cases with a little of the mixture, then top with the cashew icing and a pinch of the nutmeg.