Vegan Orange and Clove Tart

This vegan orange and clove tart is a reinterpretation of an old Jocelyn Dimbleby Christmas recipe. It’s a lovely, unusual, tangy alternative to mince pies at Christmas – a sort of cross between a Bakewell tart and a jaffa cake!

Nutritional value is probably not at the front of your mind when planning Christmas meals, but this is a dessert with naturally festive flavours that just happens to have health benefits. The flavonoid in citrus fruit that improves blood circulation (hesperidin) is found in the highest concentrations in the pith and the membranes between the segments, so recipes that use the whole fruit are particularly beneficial.

On top of that, cloves are something of a super-spice. Even a pinch can significantly improve your daily antioxidant intake.

You could, of course, also make individual pies, and one of the best things about this recipe is that, like mince pies, you can make it well in advance, stick it in the freezer, and defrost it when needed.

If you’re including the marmalade, opt for a fine-shred variety so that it adds to the zesty sweetness without turning this into a full-on marmalade tart.

Vegan Orange and Clove tart…

Ingredients

for the pastry case

• 60 g coconut oil (preferably the flavourless kind)
• 60 g soft vegan margarine
• 180 g plain white/unbleached flour
• 20 g rice flour (or top up the plain flour to 200g)
• 25 g caster sugar

for the filling

• one medium thin-skinned (ideally organic) orange
• one quarter of an unwaxed (ideally organic) lemon
• 50 g cashew nuts
• 50 g ground almonds
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• a handful of flaked almonds
• a dusting of icing sugar
• optional – 2-3 tablespoonfuls of thin-cut orange marmalade or apricot jam

method

1. Set the oven to 180°C/360°F. You will need either an 8″ tart tin or a 12-hole mince-pie tin.
2. Soak the cashews for at least an hour in boiling water, then drain and add to a suitable blender or food processor with 120 ml water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a separate container and set aside.
3. To make the pastry, first soften the coconut oil a little in the microwave if it’s not already of a similar consistency to the margarine.
4. Then, place all the pastry ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry blender or your fingers to rub the mixture together until you have fine crumbs and there are no little lumps of coconut oil visible.
5. Add a tablespoon of cold water and use a fork to bring the pastry together into a ball of fairly soft dough. Set it aside in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
6. Cut the orange into quarters and remove any pips. Check the lemon for pips, too, then add both to the processor and blitz until fairly smooth.
7. Add the cashew milk and caster sugar and process a bit further.
8. Transfer the mixture, which should be thick but easily spoonable, to a bowl. If it feels too thick, stir in another tablespoon or two of water.
9. Sift in the cornflour and baking powder and stir this into the mixture, together with the ground almonds and the ground cloves. Stir until thoroughly combined.
10. Roll out the pastry on a floured board (using rice flour for rolling will give a crispy finish to the pastry) and transfer to the baking tin, cutting rounds as required for individual tarts.
11. If you are using marmalade or jam, warm it gently before spreading over the base in a thin layer.
12. Spoon the filling into the case(s) and level the top, then sprinkle generously with flaked almonds.
13. Transfer to the oven and bake for up to 40 minutes until the filling, the pastry and the almonds are golden brown. For individual tarts, reduce the cooking time – it may be nearer to 25 minutes.
14. Allow the tart to cool. You can freeze it at this point.
15. Serve it warm or cold with a dusting of icing sugar.

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