Mince pies, Christmas pudding, custard – just because you’ve got dietary restrictions doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them

Fodmap-friendly, lactose free custard

Makes 2–2½ cups

Prep and cooking time 30 minutes

If you’re making this custard to accompany a particularly sweet dessert, use ¼ cup of sugar instead of ⅓ cup.

You can substitute tapioca flour for the cornflour if that’s what you have. Tapioca flour is highly treated to avoid the starch granules bursting (thus releasing moisture) so this can be helpful if you’ve ever noticed your custard thinning as it cools.

A whisk is necessary to combine the mixture in the initial stages, but switch to a silicone spatula or wooden spoon thereafter. Custard cooks more quickly closer to the heat source, so it’s important to constantly scrape the bottom of the pot to avoid a clumpy custard.

For a creamy option

1 ½ cups full cream lactose-free milk

½ cup lactose free cream

5 yolks from extra large eggs

¼ cup - ⅓ cup caster sugar (depending on your penchant for sweetness)

1 tbsp gluten free cornflour or tapioca flour

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

For a lighter, all milk option

2 cups full cream lactose-free milk

5 yolks from extra large eggs

¼ cup - ⅓ cup caster sugar

1 tbsp gluten free cornflour or tapioca flour

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

For a dairy free option

2 cups plant based milk (I used Bonsoy soy milk)

5 yolks from extra large eggs

¼ cup - ⅓ cup caster sugar

1 tbsp gluten free cornflour or tapioca flour

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Place the milk in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Warm until the milk is just below scalding, around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

While it is heating, gently whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste and cornflour together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Secure the mixing bowl with a tea towel underneath. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. This process gently heats the egg without scrambling it, so it is important to do it gradually. Continue until all the milk is incorporated.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir the mixture with a spatula constantly for 10 minutes, or until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon: dip a spoon into the custard and run your finger through it – the line made by your finger should stay when the custard is ready.

Remove from the heat as soon as it has thickened to your liking.

Custard overcooks very easily. You can minimise the risk by transferring the finished product to a mixing bowl in an iced water bath immediately after cooking.

You can also strain the custard to remove any errant lumps. Do this while it is still warm.

Allow the custard to cool for 7-10 minutes at room temperature before transferring to the fridge, covered or uncovered. You can pour it into a jug and cover it, or leave it uncovered and eat the custard skin later.

If something’s gone wrong, you can use an immersion blender (or at my house, soup stick) to revive a curdled or grainy custard. Only blend it for just enough time to make the custard smooth – any longer and it will start to thin. Food processors or blenders aren’t suitable, as they will whip too much air into the custard.

Fruit, grain and gluten free Christmas pudding

Makes 8-10 large slices

Prep 1 hour

Inactive time Overnight

Cooking time 2 hours 30 minutes

This pudding is Fodmap-friendly, low lactose, fructose-friendly, and is grain and gluten free. It does contain nuts.

You can use whichever alcohol you prefer for this recipe. I like Campari for the citrus bitterness, but more traditional liquors such as brandy would also work.

Japanese and Kent pumpkin varieties are more Fodmap friendly than butternut, which is why I have specified them in the recipe.

For the mince

500g Kent or Japanese pumpkin, chopped into roughly ½ cm cubes

1 ⅓ cups (275g) caster sugar

5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 tbsp fresh orange juice

2 tbsp Campari (or liquor of choice)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

20g cubed ginger (optional)

1 sprig of rosemary (optional)

For the pudding

Fruitless fruit mince

3 tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tbsp Campari or other liquor

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

3 extra large eggs

1 cup (100g) almond meal

¾ cup (75g) tapioca flour

75g butter, melted and cooled

Pinch of fine salt

For the mince

The night before making your pudding, combine all ingredients for the fruit mince and allow to sit in a non-reactive bowl in the fridge overnight. This will begin the process of flavouring and candying the pumpkin.

The next day (or at least three to four hours later) pour the mixture into a large saucepan or skillet. Place over low-medium heat, and allow to cook for around 30 minutes, stirring intermittently. The slower you cook the mixture, the softer the pumpkin will be, so if you have the time you can cook it low and slow for up to an hour.

The mixture should bubble throughout the cooking process. Eventually, a thickened syrup will form while the pumpkin pieces remain intact but soft. Once that syrup is sufficiently thick, remove the mince from the heat and allow to cool completely. If you have used the rosemary sprig, gently remove it and discard.

For the pudding

Just fill the bottom of a large soup pot with water. Place something waterproof and crack-proof in the base so that the pudding is elevated just above the water. I used an inverted steel pie tin.

Grease your pudding bowl liberally. You can line the circular base of the pudding bowl as an insurance policy, if you like.

Mix together all the ingredients for the pudding and stir thoroughly to combine. Pour the mixture into the pudding tin. You can place a piece of baking paper on the bottom of the pudding too – this will stop any rogue water getting in but also result in a smooth base.

Layer two pieces of foil over the pudding and secure tightly with string. Place the pudding on the little island you’ve created and pop the lid on.

Turn the heat to a low-medium, and set the timer for two hours. Check the water level regularly.

Once the two hours are up, open the pudding carefully (so you can continue to cook if necessary, but also so you don’t get a steam burn). If there is a bit of squishiness when you press the centre of pudding, cook in additional 15-minute increments until the centre feels completely firm.

Allow to cool a little before gently running a knife around the edge (if necessary) and inverting onto a plate. Serve with lactose free custard or ice cream and some berries.

This pudding keeps well in the fridge and can be made a day in advance.

Gluten free, Fodmap-friendly mince pies

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fodmap-friendly, gluten free mince pies. Photograph: Georgia McDermott/Georgeats

Makes 12 small mince pie

Prep 1 hour

Inactive time Overnight

This recipe is gluten free, nut free, dairy free and fructose friendly. You can buy all of these flours at the supermarket, but I recommend sourcing the white rice flour from a health food store if you can. They’re generally a lot finer in texture and taste a lot better.

Both the pastry and the fruit mince can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

If you don’t need the mince to be fruit free, you can substitute regular mince pie fillings and just make the gluten free pie crust as per the instructions.

I don’t recommend using light sour cream for this recipe. Because it contains a higher water content than the full fat version, it results in a less flaky crust.

If you don’t want to use Campari, you can use any alcohol you like (I have even used mezcal). For an alcohol-free option, simply add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice and one of orange juice.

For the mince

500g Kent or Japanese pumpkin, chopped into roughly ½cm cubes

1 ⅓ cups (275g) caster sugar

5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 tbsp fresh orange juice

2 tbsp Campari (or liquor of choice)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

20g cubed ginger (optional)

1 sprig of rosemary (optional)

To finish

2 tsp tapioca flour

For the pastry

1 cup (130g) fine white rice flour

¼ cup (25g) glutinous rice flour (otherwise known as sticky rice flour)

¼ cup (25g) tapioca flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of fine salt

100g cold butter, cubed

100g full fat sour cream, chilled

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (I use Queen brand – they vary in thickness)

Chilled vodka, as needed (or water)

To finish

1 beaten egg, for egg-wash

Sugar, for sprinkling (optional but delicious)

For the mince

Follow the instructions in the Christmas pudding recipe, above.

For the pastry

Combine the flours, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Rub in the cubes of flour, using your forefinger and thumb to gradually press the butter and flour together. The end result should have the consistency of slightly damp sand, with small but visible pieces of butter throughout the mixture. These will form the flakiness of the pastry, so it’s important they don’t melt.

Add the cold sour cream and vanilla bean paste and use a spoon to stir most of the way. Once it has been mostly incorporated, use your hands to bring the dough together. The aim is to create a ball of dough that is smooth and easy to handle – not too craggy and dry, but also not so wet that it sticks to your hands. To that end, add vodka by the teaspoon and only as necessary – even if it’s just a teaspoon to bring it all together.

Once the dough is in a ball, wrap it in beeswax wrap or cling film and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes.

For the mince pies

Preheat the oven to 180C (365F), and grease your cupcake tray liberally with butter.

Liberally sprinkle a large piece of baking paper with tapioca flour on a dry, clean bench.

Place the dough on the sheet and liberally flour the top. Cut off about ¼ of the pastry to set aside for the tops of the pies.

Roll the remaining pastry into a large rough rectangle, about ½cm thick. If the pastry keeps cracking, allow it to warm up a little. If it’s too soft to handle, pop it in the fridge for five minutes.

Use a circular cutter significantly larger than your cupcake tray holes to cut the bases for the mince pies. Lower each pastry round into a cupcake tray hole, gently pressing it flush against the sides, without stretching the dough. Any tears can easily be patched up with your fingers, and excessive dough around the edges can be neatly trimmed.

Continue this process until you have lined 12 cupcake holes.

Stir the tapioca flour into the fruit mince until it’s well combined. This will thicken it a little and ensure it doesn’t seep out and create soggy pastry.

Fill the pastry with the fruit mince and place in the fridge while you make the lids.

Roll the reserved pastry out into a ¼-½ centimetre rectangle, flouring liberally whenever necessary. Use a cutter the same size or a little bigger than the tin holes to cut out circles or stars for pastry lids. Continue until you have 12.

Remove the pie bottoms from the fridge. Use the egg to lightly egg wash the sides of the pies, and then press the lids gently but firmly atop to secure. Paint the tops of the pies with the egg wash, and then sprinkle over the sugar, if you’re using it.

Place the pies in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they smell fragrant and have coloured lightly. Turn the grill function on and continue to cook the pies for another couple of minutes, watching closely. Remove them when they are golden brown on top.

The pies can be served warm or cold, and keep well in an airtight container for up to a week.

Georgia McDermott’s food-intolerance-friendly recipes can be found at Georgeats.com and on Instagram @georgeats; her book FODMAP Friendly is available now.