Which Guyanese Style Pineapple Pastry is Your Favourite?

Pineapple is one of my personal favourite fruits to snack on whenever I have a fruit craving. It’s sweet and juicy right down to the core, and you can never have too many slices. Speaking of slices, I bet you have come across the pastry known as “pine slice” when stopping at a local snackette. You probably would have bought a few along with their other pine-pastry-cousin: “pinetart”. These two pastries are a household name in Guyana.

Anytime I am in Stabroek Market, I have to stop at a snackette and get myself one of these delectable, piney treats. This article will focus on how you can make these treats right at home so you can enjoy them whenever you like.

A Little History

During the mid-17th century, Taiwan’s pineapple production industry was booming. Due to this surge in surplus, the Taiwanese had to find ways to use up these pineapple resources, and as such many pastry chefs started to incorporate them into their products and came up with the tasty treat known as Pineapple Cake aka ‘Pine Slice’. It is not known when exactly pineapple cakes were invented but it is said to have been around for hundreds of years. Pineapple cake became very popular around Asia and other parts of the world and they began to make their own variations of the pastry one of which is ‘Pinetart’.

A key ingredient to making these pastries is pineapple filling. Use the instructional video below as a guide on how to make your own pineapple jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PubK0NsgygE&t=0s

How to Make Pine Slice

Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Stick butter
• 4 Tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 Tsp nutmeg
• 1 Tbs custard powder
• 2 Tbs Ice cold water
• 2 Tsp Vanilla essence

Preparation

1.  Put 4 cups of sifted flour into a large bowl and grate your two sticks of butter along with some nutmeg and your sugar and mix. It is recommended to mix with your hands but you can also use a spoon.
2. Break 4 eggs into a bowl and add 1tsp of custard powder with 2 tsp of vanilla essence. Whisk thoroughly until frothy.
3. Combine your wet, egg mixture in with your dry ingredients and mix. Again, you can use your hands or a spoon. Recommended mixing using your hands.
4. Knead your dough with your hands until it is smooth and compact.
5. Cut your dough into two equal parts.
6. Grease a flat, rectangular pan with butter. Roll out your dough pieces and place one at the bottom of your pan. Add pine jam and then place the other dough piece on top.
7. Preheat your oven to 360 degrees. After it is preheated, put your pan into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. After that, take it out, cut it into squares and enjoy!

Image of Pineslice. Photo Source: Visit Guyana – Facebook.com

How To Make Pine-Tarts

Ingredients

For Crust

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• dash of salt
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 1 egg white
• egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp water

For Filling

• 20oz freshly crushed pineapple or One 20oz can (2 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg or cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 tbsp brown sugar

Preparation

1. If using fresh pineapple, peel and chop the pineapple into large chunks and blend until the pineapple has small lumps.
2. If using canned crushed pineapple, place the entire contents into a medium size saucepan (including juice).
3. Add all spices and sugars and bring to a slow simmer for 45 minutes on low heat or until the mixture looks thick and has a jam-like consistency.
4. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool thoroughly.
6. Place flour in a mixing bowl, add sugar and salt, and sift together.
7. Add butter and shortening. With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut shortening and butter into the flour until it forms pea-sized lumps (Looks like lumpy sand.)
8. Add cold water a little at a time, knead slightly, and form into a ball. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two before use.

For assembly

1. Roll out dough. Cut 6 in round discs.
2. Brush edges with egg whites.
3. Place a heaping tablespoon of pineapple jam in the center 1 inch from the edge.
4. Fold corners into the center to form a triangle.
5. Brush tops with egg wash then pierce with a fork.
6. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes on top or middle rack in the oven until golden brown. After taking it out of the oven, allow to cool and serve!

Image of Pinetart. Photo Source: http://jehancancook.com/2009/07/948/

References :

• Pinetart recipe: http://www.guyanadining.com/pine-tart-recipe/
• Pine slice recipe: https://youtu.be/f932VSPdkSs
• Pineapple cake origins: https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2016/01/the-pineapple-cake-chronicles/#:~:text=What%20has%20made%20Taiwan’s%20pineapple,period%20(1895%2D1945).