Pineapple Meringue Trifle

The Esk Valley Cookery Book: Treasured Recipes of the Country Women of the Esk Valley, Tasmania, Country Women's Association and The New Idea 1930s. Recipe contributed by R Farrell, Longford.

Pineapple Meringue Trifle

One layer of sponge sandwich (7 inches/17cm in diameter); ¾ pint/425ml milk; 2 tblspn sugar; 2 tblsp cornflour; 1 dstsp sherry; 2 eggs; 1 ½ cup finely chopped pineapple (drained free of syrup); ¾ pint/425ml red jelly; 4 tblspn extra sugar (for meringue); chopped blanched almonds; and a few strawberries to garnish

Cut sponge into cubes, arrange a layer on bottom of ovenware dish. Blend cornflour with some of the milk, add balance of the milk and sugar, stir until boiling. Simmer 3 minutes. Cool slightly, add beaten egg yolks, cook a few minutes over low heat without allowing to boil. Add sherry.

Pour half over cake in dish. Cover with half pineapple. Add another layer of cake, custard, pineapple. Beat egg whites to meringue consistency with extra sugar, pile around edge of dish.

Place in a very moderate oven (325°F/160°C gas, 375°F/190°C electric) until meringue is set and very lightly browned,

Allow to become cold, then chill in ice chest or refrigerator.

Set jelly in shallow tin; when quite set, chop and pile in centre of trifle. Garnish with chopped almonds and a few strawberries.

Alexandra’s Mum, Jill's Pineapple Meringue

Our lovely friend Alexandra wrote this recipe into her first collection, when she left home in the 1980s.

Pineapple Meringue

Small tin crushed pineapple; ½ cup sugar; ½ cup milk; 1 dessertspn custard powder; 2 egg yolks

2 egg whites, beaten; 2 dessertsp sugar – beat; cinnamon

My additions: 

Combine first group of ingredients in a small saucepan, simmer until the custard is thick. Pour into a greased pie dish. Let cool. 

Beat egg whites until stiff, add the sugar (some people add a pinch of cream of tartar too), beat some more. Pour or pipe onto custard, sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon. 

Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes or until slightly golden, Anne

Pineapple, lime and coconut chews

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pineapple-lime-coconut-chews/83bedbe4-34f6-4e20-884d-292d1985bfe4?r=recipes/sweetfingerfoodrecipes&c=yMyEWURR/Sweet%20finger%20food%20recipes

Pineapple, lime and coconut chews

“Get into fruity pineapple baking with these sensational sweet bites, perfect for spring time.”

INGREDIENTS: 3 egg whites; 1/2 cup caster sugar; 1 tablespoon cornflour; 1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind; 1/2 cup finely chopped dried pineapple; 1/2 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted; icing sugar mixture, to serve

METHOD:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until dissolved. Continue beating for 2 minutes or until mixture is glossy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Fold in half the cornflour, lime rind, pineapple and coconut. Repeat with remaining cornflour, lime rind, pineapple and coconut.

Step 3

Drop heaped tablespoons of meringue mixture, 4cm apart, onto prepared trays. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until crisp. Cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.

I made a double batch with these delicious ingredients. 

I found that smaller ones worked the best, cooked in a slower oven for longer than recommended, Anne.

The romance of pineapple with Barbara Cartland

The Romance of Food, Barbara Cartland, photography by David Johnson (author photo by Norman Parkinson, line drawings by Roger Hall) 1984 England

“Cooking is an Art! Food should delight the eyes, then the mind and eventually the stomach. Food and Love have had a close relationship all through the ages.

No one understands that better than the French to whom cooking is a sacred trust handed down from generation to generation. . .

Every Frenchman chooses his food with the same care, and the same concentration, as when he chooses a woman to love.

And his Food must inspire – stimulate – satisfy!

I have found in my research that every plant, herb, leaf and fruit has, at some time, been known for its aphrodisiacal powers.

What wise women, the witches, the gypsies and young girls seeking a husband can also give us are a list of those which are definitely magical.

Yet just as with the Greeks, Romans, the Arabs and the Hindus, some of their recipes may seem ludicrous, others are successfully stimulating to love and most important, highly nutritious!

I hope this book brings you both.” Barbara Cartland.

Pineapple Alaska

3 egg whites; 175g/6oz caster sugar; 4 pineapple rings; 300ml/1/2 pint strawberry ice cream; glacé cherries for decoration

Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff then add the sugar and continue whisking until very stiff. Place a pineapple ring in each of 4 ramekins or cocotte dishes, then pack the ice cream on top and pipe the meringue over each one, making sure the ice cream is covered completely.

Decorate with glacé cherries, place on a baking sheet, and bake in a very hot oven, 230-240 C, 450-475 F, gas 8-9, for 4-5 minutes. Serve at once.

Serves 4

And here are some of my favorites photographs from the book, Anne

Tasty pineapple from places starting with T

Cooking School Thai: Bring the flavours of Thailand to life in your own kitchen 2010, edited by Fiona Biggs (Love Food) Bath UK

Thailand - Chicken and Peanut Curry

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil or groundnut oil; 2 red onions, sliced; 2 tbsp Penang curry paste; 400ml / 14 fl oz coconut milk; 150ml / 5 fl oz chicken stock; 4 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn; 1 lemon grass stem, finely chopped; 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped; 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce; 2 tbsp Thai soy sauce; 1 tsp palm sugar or soft light brown sugar; 50g / 1 ¾ oz unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped, plus extra to serve; 175g / 6 oz fresh pineapple, coarsely chopped; 15 cm / 6 inch piece cucumber, peeled, deseeded and thickly sliced, plus extra to serve

1 Heat a wok over a medium-high heat, then add the oil. Add the onions and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

2 Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Add the lime leaves and lemon grass and simmer for 1 minute. Add the chicken and gradually bring to the boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is tender.

3 Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the peanuts, pineapple and cucumber and cook for 30 seconds. Serve immediately with peanuts and cucumber on top.

The Cuisine of the South Pacific, Gwen Skinner, photography by Michael Willison, 1983 New Zealand

“The South Pacific conjures up visions of a paradise of waving coconut palms, coral reefs, white sands, and a tropical climate. It has all of those things, but it also has a wide geographical and cultural diversity and not the least of its splendours is its food.”

Tahiti and the Society Islands – Tropical Bean, Vegetable and Pineapple Salad

2 cups canned kidney beans (or mixed three-beans); ¼ cup green pepper, finely chopped; ½ cup young long beans, cooked; ½ cup butter beans, cooked (I substituted with baby corn and baby carrots, briefly steamed); ½ cup celery, diced; 1 cup pineapple, diced (fresh or canned); 1 large tomato; ¼ cup French dressing; salt and pepper

Drain canned beans and wash. Make sure cooked beans are cold. Section and remove the seeds from tomato then cut into fine strips.

Mix all ingredients together, season to taste.

Tonga – Pineapple Coconut Pie

Make a baked pie crust.

Filling: 2 cups milk; ½ cup flour; 1 cup sugar; ¼ tsp salt; 3 egg yolks, beaten; 1 tblsp butter; 1 cup coconut, grated; 1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, grated; 2 tblsp lemon juice

Mix a portion of the milk with the flour to a smooth paste. Heat remaining milk in a double saucepan, add paste gradually and stir until thick and smooth. Add sugar and salt. Pour into beaten egg yolks, return all to the double boiler and cook a further 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a pie shell.

When cool, top with meringue.

Meringue topping: 3 egg whites; 4 tblsp sugar; ½ tsp vanilla (optional)

Beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff. Add vanilla essence.

Bake pie at 180C for about 10 minutes.

Tanzania - Pineapple Salad

http://latechef.com/recipes.php?Simple-Quick=Tanzanian-Recipe/Tanzanian-Pineapple-Salad/1473

Ingredients:  3 large pineapples; 1/3 cup cashew nuts; ½ cup slivers coconut; 1 cup cream; 4 tblspn honey; 1 ¼ oz white rum

Method:

1 Cut pineapples into bite-sized cubes.

2 In a pan fry the nuts and coconut until golden brown.

3 In a separate bowl combine the rum, cream and honey. Then toss in the pineapple cubes.

4 Mix the cashew nut mixture into the bowl.

5 Let chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

https://snapguide.com/guides/make-trinidad-pineapple-chow/

Trinidad - Pineapple Chow by Melissa Silverson

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ripe pineapple (or mango) ; 1 tablespoon cilantro (or chadon beni if available), chopped ; ¼ teaspoons garlic, chopped ; 2 red chilies (or 1/3 habanero), chopped  ; 1 salt, to taste ; ½ tablespoons calypso hot sauce (for extra heat, optional)

METHOD

1 Cube pineapple, chop hot peppers, garlic, & cilantro.

2 Add pineapple, hot peppers, garlic, salt, cilantro, & calypso hot sauce to bowl... Blend well.

3 Allow to sit for an hour for flavors to blend. Serve cool. 

Pineapple flans

Radiation Cookery Book, a selection of proved recipes for use with the Regulo New World Gas Cookers, 1955 (First edition 1927) London

Pineapple flans

Ingredients: small individual flan/tart cases; fresh or canned pineapple pieces or crushed; whites of 2 eggs; 4 ozs (100g) castor sugar; vanilla or almond essence

Method: Place a small amount of drained pineapple into each pasrty case, whip the whites of eggs until very stiff, gold in the castor sugar and flavouring. Put a spoonful of the meringue on top of the pineapple, and place for 10 minutes on bottomplate of oven, to set and brown the meringue. Serve hot or cold.

I used gluten-free tart cases from the local supermarket and filled some of them with finely chopped fresh pineapple

      and some with pineapple and orange marmalade before topping with meringue, Anne

Flambe that pineapple!

Look'n Cook: A complete cook’s encyclopaedia with step-by-step guides to creative cooking in 60 weekly parts, London 1978
Look‘n Cook No 43  

Flamed Pineapple Meringue

2 whole eggs; 6 egg yolks; ¾ cup icing sugar; 1 cup + 2 tblspns flour, sieved; 1 cup pineapple juice; 3 cupos milk; 1 tspn vanilla essence; 10 slices pineapple; 50g butter, softened; 150ml white rum

For the meringue: 4 egg whites; ¾ cup icing sugar

1 In a mixing bowl, blend together the whole eggs, egg yolks and icing sugar. Whisk well, then mix in the flour. Stir in the pineapple juice.

2 Heat the milk in a heavy saucepan and, when boiling, pour it over the egg and pineapple mixture, stirring all the time. Add the vanilla essence and pour back into the saucepan.

3 Return the pan to the heat and boil for several minutes, stirring continuously, until it thickens. Then remove from the heat.

4 Cut 2 of the pineapple slices into cubes and mix into the crème patissiere. Then stir in the butter and 50ml of the rum.

5 Preheat the oven to 200°C.

6 Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar, beating all the time until stiff and shiny.

7 Spread the crème patissiere over the base of an ovenproof dish. Arrange the remaining pineapple slices on top and then cover with the meringue. Place in the oven and bake until the meringue is cooked and golden.

8 Just before serving, heat the rest of the rum in a small saucepan. Pour it over the meringue, set it alight, and serve the flaming dish to your guests.

Serves 8

"Tip: There are a number of variations on this dish. You can substitute brandy or another spirit for rum and can even use alternative fruits for the filling."

Note: The fire extinguisher was close at hand!

Pineapple Meringue Trifle, it's got it all!

The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookery Book, Prize Recipes from our £2,000 Cookery Contest, 1948

Pineapple Meringue Trifle  

One layer of sponge sandwich (18cm in diameter), 450ml milk, 2 tblsp sugar, 2 tbls cornflour, 1 dstsp sherry, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked pineapple (drained free of syrup), ¾ pint red jelly, 4 tblsp extra sugar (for meringue), chopped blanched almonds and a few strawberries to garnish.

Cut sponge into cubes, arrange a layer on bottom of ovenware dish. Blend cornflour with some of the milk, add balance of milk and sugar, stir until boiling. Simmer 3 minutes. Cool slightly, add beaten egg-yolks, cook a few minutes over low heat without allowing to boil. Add sherry. Pour half over cake in dish. Cover with half pineapple. Add another layer of cake, custard, pineapple. Beat egg-whites to meringue consistency with extra sugar, pile around edge of dish. Place in very moderate oven (190°C) until meringue is set and very lightly browned. Allow to become cold, then chill in ice-chest or refrigerator. Set jelly in shallow tin; when quite set, chop and pile in centre of trifle. Garnish with chopped almonds and a few strawberries.