Tropic Isle Lamb

This useful diagram comes from an edition of the “New Australian Cookery Illustrated”. My copy is missing the first couple of pages so I can’t say who wrote it or in what year, but it was well thumbed by my mother probably in the 50s and 60s.

One of our local butchers especially prepared the lamb for this recipe. I had never eaten corned lamb before, only corned beef which is one of our family favourites. The meal was just as enjoyable, Anne.

Tropic Isle Lamb

440g can Golden Circle Sliced Pineapple, corned leg of lamb, 2 tblspns chopped raisins, ¼ cup vinegar, cloves, peppercorns, pinch cinnamon.

Simmer lamb in usual way until fork tender. Drain and transfer to casserole. Drain syrup from pineapple into saucepan, cur one slice pineapple and add to syrup together with raisins, vinegar, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon. Simmer for 10 minutes and then spoon over lamb. Arrange pineapple slices on leg and bake in moderate oven (180° C) about 30 minutes, basting occasionally with syrup from bottom of dish. Serve with boiled new potatoes, buttered peas and baby carrots.

“Menu planning . . . an art at which you can shine” Ruby.

I have been a real Pineapple Princess this afternoon, have made the Saucy Seafood Casseroles and the Two Crust Pineapple Pie. 
The casserole was fine, a bit heavy on the protein (fish, cheese and egg) but quite nice, I teamed it with some carrot and peas.  I used poached salmon rather than the suggested prawns or crab.
The pie looks great, I used Pampas shortcrust pastry, Ann.

 Saucy Seafood Casseroles

440g can Golden Circle Pineapple Pieces, 1 ½ cups cooked flaked fish (crab-meat, prawns or scallops), 2 ½ cups seasoned white sauce, 2 egg yolks, salt and pepper, 1 tblspn lemon juice or dry sherry, 3 hard-boiled eggs.

Drain pineapple pieces. Chop a few pieces and add to the combined fish, white sauce, seasonings, egg yolks and sherry. Spoon into buttered casseroles. Top with remaining pineapple pieces mixed with 2 cups crushed cereal flakes and 1 cup grated cheese. Heat in moderate oven. Serve garnished with slices of hard-boiled eggs and parsley.

Seafood casserole before the oven

Out of the oven and garnished

Two-crust Pineapple Pie

440g can Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple, 2 tblspns cornflour, ¼ cup cold water, enough short pastry to line and cover 18cm plate.

Line pie plate with short pastry rolled thinly. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top. Blend cornflour in water. Place pineapple in saucepan; bring to boil, then thicken with cornflour mixture. Spoon into pastry lined plate, cover with top crust and bake in hot oven (230° F) about 25 minutes. Serve with cream or custard sauce.

Ruby loved a celebration

I don’t know why, but the family wouldn’t let me recreate Ruby’s beautiful Pineapple Glazed (canned) Ham this Christmas! But, Golden Circle Pineapple still managed to adorn our feast! And you can't go wrong with a couple of cocktail onions thrown into the mix! Anne.

And this crystallised pineapple was yum too!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Fill a parfait glass with a random mixture of Golden Circle Pineapple Pieces, vanilla milk jelly and chunks of bright red jelly. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decorate with a Christmas tree (cut with pastry cutter from shallow-set lime jelly) and a sprig of holly.

Merry Christmas from Ruby

And Merry Christmas from Ann and Anne

A pop up pineapple

My daughter, Ella, photographed this great drawing of a pineapple in an exhibition space at the Lonsdale Street Traders which she described as a pop up shop complex in Braddon, Canberra. There was no artist’s signature to identify them unfortunately, Anne. 

PS I have since found out this was one of two pencil drawings by Robbie Karmel and was part of an exhibition of multimedia artworks. A zine, "Zineapples", of the show was also produced  by Oscar Capezio and Naomi Xeros.

Who is Pineapple Poll ?

Described as a “light hearted frolic” Pineapple Poll is a Gilbert and Sullivan-inspired comic ballet, created in 1959 by choreographer John Cranko with arranger Sir Charles Mackerras, based on "The Bumboat Woman's Story", one of W. S. Gilbert's Bab Ballads, written in 1870. It’s all a touch baffling – “The Bumboat Women’s Story” ?????

The heroine is a girl called Pineapple Poll who sells flowers and the hero is Captain Belaye of the H.M.S. Hot Cross Bun.

Certainly the most entertaining of the youtubes of “Pineapple Poll” is this one of Robert Parker’s performance as Captain Belaye in his first solo during the Birmingham Royal Ballet's stage rehearsals.

 

Go on watch it – it will make you smile. Sadly Pineapple Poll only does a fleeting twirl across the stage towards the end in this particular clip, Anne.

Pacific Sea-Scallop Casserole

I used skinless salmon fillets instead of scallops and it turned out well.  A squeeze or two of lemon juice was a welcome addition to the pineapple.  If I make it again I would serve it in individual gratin dishes (or shells) as a hot entrée.  Very good retro dinner party food, Ann.

Pacific Sea-Scallop Casserole

440g can Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple, 3 cups freshly cooked rice, salt and pepper, 450g sea scallops, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs, 2 tblspns butter, 2 tblspns plain flour, 2 tspns curry powder, tspn salt, ¼ tspn sugar, 1 onion, 1 small apple, 500ml hot milk.

Drain pineapple and add it to hot rice. Season mixture and use it to line casserole. Fill centre with curried sea scallops. Top with additional scallops that have been dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and lightly fried. Re-heat in slow oven, garnish with parsley and serve.

Curried sea scallops: Reserve some scallops, dip in egg and breadcrumbs and lightly fry. Chop remainder into quarters. Melt butter in saucepan and lightly fry chopped apple and onion. Remove from strove and stir in flour, curry powder and salt. Gradually stir in hot milk. Return to stove and cook, stirring until smooth sauce has formed. Add chopped scallops and simmer for 3 minutes.