Evoking sunny Queensland.

An impromptu dinner party, some friends of my pal Robert in town from NZ and Ballarat for a dog show in Canberra.  I invited them for dinner and now the party has grown. 

Purchased two 6 inch pastry cases (sorry Ruby, I failed pastry at school) they were the only ones I could find.  I planned to use the individual Sara Lee sweet pastry cases but they were nowhere to be found.  Made up the filling as per the recipe but added another egg white to the meringue, plus another ¼ cup sugar and ½ cup coconut.  I tinted the meringue a very delicate shade of pink, the beetroot hue of the book would have put us all off our dessert, Ann.

Coral Reef Pie.

Pie filling: 440g can Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple, 2 tblspns cornflour, 2 egg yolks, 1 tblspn butter, 1 baked 20cm pastry shell.

Heat pineapple and syrup in saucepan. Blend cornflour in ¼ cup cold water, stir into hot pineapple mixture and bring to boil. Remove from stove, stir in beaten egg yolks and butter. Turn into pastry shell, top with pink coral macaroon, bake in slow oven 180°C about 30 minutes or until topping is firm.

Coral Macaroon Topping: 2 egg whites, ½ cup castor sugar, 1 cup desiccated coconut, pinch salt, pink food colouring. Beat egg whites with salt until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, beating until meringue is firm. Add few drops pink food colouring, then the coconut. Flavour to taste.

Pineapple filling in the shells.

Before the oven.



Out of the oven.

One slice gone.



One slice of Coral Reef Pie.

The Pineapple Princesses were recently contacted by a fan of all things vintage who had created a Coral Reef Pie of her own. Kylie and her family, who live in Perth, weren’t that impressed by the pie which is why Ann decided to have a go at creating not one but two herself!

See Kylie’s very funny tribute (?) to Ruby Borrowdale at

http://lucyvioletvintage.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/golden-circle-magic-or-should-that-read.html#links