A friend of mine ‘returned home’ to get married in Guyana and a couple of our mutual friends joined her for the experience. For most of them, this was their first trip to Guyana; although of Caribbean descent themselves, I had to admit I was slightly nervous for them as Guyana is a very different experience to say Jamaica and Trinidad and so I was interested to hear their take on the country, especially as I hadn’t seen the country for over 10 years myself.
They all came back smiling I am pleased to say, not only for our friend whose wedding was beautiful and heart warming, but also for the love of the country. “Those Pine Tarts were so amazing!” recalled one of my friends, also the Chief Bridesmaid at the wedding. “And although I don’t eat a lot of meat, I really enjoyed the pepperpot stew”.
I was curious to hear how much Guyana had really developed since I last visited. When I was there, it felt very rural yet lively with friendly, approachable people and social events that brought out the whole community. But those Pine Tarts, yes I had to agree, are pretty good. My mother use to make these during the summer holidays once the school term was done and would sometimes pack them into our bags for summer play-scheme.
Pine tarts a very easy to make with either fresh or canned pineapple. The sweet pastry really holds the filling together and tastes just as good as the jam inside. So if you have time during the summer holidays, I would recommend setting aside an hour or two to make some of these tarts for the family. You won’t regret it.
Guyanese: Pine Tarts
Ingredients:
For the Pineapple Filling
425g Pineapple Chunks (or fresh pineapple chunks)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
For the Pastry
1/2 cup salted butter (soft)
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
2 3/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg (egg wash)
3/4 cup ice cold water
Method
The filling
1. If you are using fresh pineapple, then peel and cut the pineapple into large chunks and transfer into a food blender, pulsate for a minute until you have small lumps. You want to then measure out 2 1/2 cups of pineapple from that to use in the filling.
2. If using pineapple from a can, take the fruit and half of the juice and pulsate in the blender until you have small lumps.
3. Place the fruit into a sauce pan with the remaining juice and the spices and sugar. Simmer slowly for 30 mins under a low to medium heat or until the mixture thickens to a jam like consistency. Keep stirring regularly to avoid it burning. When ready, remove from the heat and set aside to cool down completely.
The dough
4. Place the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix together until it forms a crumbly texture. Then little by little, add the cold water until you can form a dough. Knead the dough to a smooth log (about a foot long), wrap in cling film and refrigerate for between 30 minutes and 4 hours before use. When you are ready to use it, leave the dough out the fridge for about 30 minutes to get to room temperature.
The assembly
5. Cut the log into 1 inch thick rounds, flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a 6″ circle (I used a plate).
6. Place 1 1/2 tablespoon of pineapple filling into the middle of the circle and brush the edges with egg wash.
7. Fold the corners of the dough into the middle, to form a triangle. ensure the ends are sealed, you can use a fork to do this.
8. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (optional)
9. Bake in the oven (Gas Mark 5) for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve hot or cold.
lovelorettaskitchen.com 