Low Carb Berry Pie With Keto Coconut Ice Cream
Festive Periods, like Christmas, are often justified reasons to indulge and often overdo it. Cooking more. Entertain more. And, eating more, a lot more.
Very often, many health-conscious people take this opportunity to break out of their routine and forget their own rules. Perhaps, it is not to offend their hosts or be a burden for those cooking. With so many health issues and dietary choices, cooking for a large group can be tricky. Christmas dinners are no exception.
How do you prepare a fabulous traditional Christmas Dinner if it has to be gluten-free, dairy-free, meat-free, sugar-free, fat-free, low in sodium, and plant-based?
Well, the answer is that most will give up and not entertain at all, or ask everyone to bring their own food, which I believe is very practical indeed.
The point is to sit around the same table, enjoy each other company and have a great time. So, why not everyone bring a dish with enough to go around?
My dessert will satisfy even the sweetest tooth. It is low in carbs and contains virtually no sugar. The sweetness comes from fruits and berries, and a little xylitol to make the ice cream sweeter, although you may choose to reduce the quantities to your taste.
This dessert is suitable for paleo, keto and low-carb diets.
Serving suggestion
Recipe
Serves 6–8
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes
For the Crust:
250 g plain wholegrain flour
or gluten-free brown plain flour
150 ml orange juice
115 g coconut butter
75 g ground almonds
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Ice cube
Pinch of salt
Berry Filling:
650 g organic frozen berries
100 ml orange (or apple) juice
6 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp linseeds (ground)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange and lemon zest
1/3 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp allspice
Fresh berries and mint leaves for decoration (optional)
Coconut Ice Cream:
600 ml coconut milk (full fat)
60 g xylitol (or less)
50 ml MCT oil
40 g coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
To make the crust, place flour and coconut butter in a food processor until finely ground. Mix in the almonds and ice cube, and incorporate juices slowly until they form a ball. Work dough to a minimum.
Reserve the dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, preferably overnight.
Place all ingredients from the berry filling, except the linseeds, into a pan. Bring to a boil then simmer very gently, until the mix has thickened. Skim the foam that may appear at the top. Leave it to cool and mix in the linseeds. If the mix is too thick, add a little more juice.
Preheat oven to 180˚c.
Cut the dough in half. Roll each half between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a pie dish and line it with a sheet of lightly buttered parchment paper. Lay the flattened dough and pour the cooled berry mix. Cover with the remaining dough. Make a hole in the centre to let the steam escape. Bake for 45 minutes.
Check the pie is cooked through and leave to cool inside the dish.
To make the coconut ice cream, bring the butter, 2/3 of the coconut milk, and the xylitol to a boil in a medium saucepan. Then simmer until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 35-45 minutes. Decant in a large mixing bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract, the MCT oil and the remaining coconut milk. Pour inside your ice cream maker and churn until ready (about 20 minutes or more, depending on the manufacturer).
Pour ice cream into a glass container and place in the freezer. Serve after 24 hours.