Mincemeat Pie with Cashew Brandy Cream — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Mincemeat Pie with Cashew Brandy Cream

This is the one we bring out every Christmas and honestly, it never lasts long. Proper homemade mincemeat with warm spices, boozy whiskey, and sticky fruit, all tucked into a buttery pastry case and served with the most incredible cashew brandy cream. We've been making this for years and it's become one of those recipes that genuinely feels special, the kind that makes the whole kitchen smell like Christmas. If you've only ever had shop-bought mincemeat, trust us, this is a completely different thing. Make this and you'll never go back.

Cook: 180 min
Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large saucepan
  • Large tart tin greased
  • High-speed blender
  • Baking parchment
  • Baking beans
  • Cling film
  • Cashews soaked in water (advance prep)
  • Pastry rest in fridge for 1 hour
  • Pastry rest in fridge for 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1kg cooking apples
  • 200g light Muscovado sugar
  • 100ml medium dry cider
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • generous grating of nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of cloves
  • 100g sultanas
  • 100g raisins
  • 100g currants
  • 100g dried cranberries
  • 100g glace cherries - roughly chopped
  • 50g stem ginger plus 1 tbsp of the syrup - roughly chopped
  • 100g blanched almonds - roughly chopped
  • 50g pecans - roughly chopped
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 8 tbsp whiskey or sherry
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ice water
  • 1 tbsp demerera sugar
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar garnish
  • 125g plain flour
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 100g golden caster golden
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 orange zest of
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp brandy
  • 300g cashews soaked
  • 100ml coconut milk

Method

1

First make the mincemeat

  • Peel and roughly chop the apples into slices
  • Combine the sugar and cider in a large saucepan, place over a medium heat and bring to the boil
  • Add all the other ingredients, apart from the whiskey to the pan, stir well until thoroughly mixed
  • Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly for 30 minutes
  • Remove from the heat and add the whiskey, stirring to incorporate
  • If not using immediately place in to sterilised jars and seal
2

To make the pastry

  • Combine the flour, baking powder ground almonds, sugar, salt and orange zest in a bowl and mix well
  • Drizzle over the olive oil and apple cider vinegar
  • Add the iced water, depending on how moist the pastry is add 1-2 tbsp
  • Mix gently until the pastry comes together
  • Wrap tightly in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 1 hour
3

Take the pastry out of the refrigerator

  • Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to approx 1/2 cm thickness and carefully place into the greased tart shell
  • If the pastry is difficult to roll (which happens from time to time) cover the base and sides of the tart tin with the pastry with your hands and mould it into the tin, making sure the pastry is 1/2 cm thick and well packed
  • Reserve any excess pastry and cut out star shapes which will be used to top the tart
  • If the pastry was difficult to roll, we recommend rolling the pastry out on cling film, cutting the stars out, removing the excess pastry and cutting the cling film around the stars (this method makes dressing the tart easier)
  • Place in the fridge and allow to rest for 30 minutes
4

Finish the pie and bake

  • Line the tart shell with baking parchment
  • Fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes
  • Remove the baking beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes
  • Add half of the mincemeat to the tart shell and top with the pastry stars
  • Brush the stars with olive oil and sprinkle demerara sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes
5

While the tart is baking make the cashew cream

  • Place all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blitz until completely smooth
  • Place in the fridge until ready to serve
  • Sprinkle the tart with icing sugar and serve with the cashew brandy cream

Tips & Variations

  • Make the mincemeat ahead: The mincemeat genuinely gets better after a few days in the jar as the flavours develop, so if you can make it a week before, do it.
  • Cashew cream texture: Soak your cashews for at least 4 hours, or overnight if you can. The longer they soak the smoother and creamier the result. Henry says overnight is the move.
  • Pastry tip: Keep everything cold when making the pastry and don't overwork it. We find chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling makes it much easier to handle and gives a better crumb.

Why This Works

The trick is cooking the mincemeat low and slow so all those spices and fruits really meld together into something deep and complex. The whiskey goes in off the heat, which keeps that boozy warmth without cooking it all away. And the cashew brandy cream is genuinely a game-changer, it's rich and silky and makes the whole thing feel seriously indulgent.