Childhood Aussie recipe...coconut slice

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macette on 17 Aug 2017 at 10:19

I found this recipe and had to try it ....ohhhhh so happy, everything worked out perfectly and easy....

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/raspberry-jam-coconut-slice/93504c61-43a9-4692-b57b-eb95171bff24 Will definitely make more....

In New Zealand too.

I can remember my mother occasionally buying this from a bakery in the local town in the 1960's, which was never as good as when she made it herself, which was never as good as when an Aunt made it.

So to put the proverbial cat in the canary cage, where did it originate? Aussie or NZ?

I have my mothers old Country Women's Institute Cookbook dating from the early 1950's and it is in there. (I didn't look to see if there was a pavlova recipe though...)

 

It belongs to one of us...lol . I came across it by accident living in Northern Ireland now all the memories came flooding back. I have a good recipe for meat pie and now searching aussie pastries. This recipe turned out great so will hang onto it. Nice to hear from another Antipodean. 

You will need a good meat pie recipe as I know it is impossible to get a good meat pie in Ireland, either side of the boarder.

I love the coconut slice and as you may know expat here too - I am I. Los Angeles since the age of 15 but if you'll at my threads I am a bit crazy when it comes to perfect authentic baling recipes. For the record I've done meat pies to the nth degree and if you like can help with advice in that category. When I first took a stab at them I wanted the authentic basic pie, not a steak and kidney or curry pie, not a fancy lamb pie I'm talking the real deal dogs eye. A couple of pointers for your short crust - margarine or lard - avoid butter for your ahortening. For the filling use oxo cubes . You're gonna want a slightly soft lower crust and lard or margarine works best. If you are going to laminate the top yourself it's best to fold the French / viennoise method 20-30 folds. Another hint is to grind the meat finely of you can and use higher fat beef as you can pour off the lard and use for shortening. Please let me know of you want help I have my grandmas recipes including olden dumplings and all the good stuff !

You  sound like you have really perfected our pie...I will definitely try the marg instead of butter and the oxo. I know I haven't got the meat texture right yet but it's better than I have been able to buy here. As for the laminate I am no way in that league. I have to try and make a basic puff first . But it's great you are equipped to help with our Aussie cuisine. If you have time would love your meat pie recipe....for 2. Please....

I haven't done pies for a while but now I'm thinking it's time to fetch the recipe again. We had a real shop open up here a few years ago - at first I was skeptical bit upon rocking up during the opening week I discovered the owner was a rugby team mate of one of my good childhood friends who eventually became a wallaby in the 90s. That abruptly ended my regular pie bake since I could scoot around to garlos pie shop and just fetch real pies all of a sudden. Unfortunately they closed so now there's multiple reasons to start then again. Jus so you know here's what I am going for with an authentic pie. Thick gravy that tastes just as I remember and only a little meat in the filling. I don't like chunky mince meat - I prefer small more finely chopped or minced beef. I want the crust to be a little saggy on the bottom - if it's stiff it's too dry and not enjoyable. The top is absolutely fine using store puff it just makes for more fun laminating yourself but often times I have used puff from the store. As for the recipe it's actually quite simple but I think there's a few pointer that help make forms better more authentic experience. From memory the filling is ground beef, pepper, salt, nutmeg, stock cubes (oxo) and with soy or Worcestershire sauce. I'd have to go back to the recipe for measures. The crust is a simple short crust using as mentioned margarine or lard. The other trick is finding a good tin - they are kind of hard to find and you may have to settle for a tart mold. Ok let's get a recipe up here ASAP !

Thats how I remember them too....the gravy was almost gelatinous and the pastry soft and little floppy, sounds disgusting but ohhhhh so delicious. Never knew there was nutmeg...? I had to settle for an oval tin because I was in such a hurry to try them and not a round tin anywhere. Looking forward to the proper recipe......this is the link for the one I tried tasted ok better than nothing...... https://youtu.be/uKfhcQet-6M 

I wanted to see the recipe but the link throws and error. Btw nothin wrong with floppy food . The beat fish and chips have soggy steamed chips that fall over of you try to holt them pointing upwards with all the vinegar and salt and what not - now I'm craving a warm paper wrapped bag of fish and chips on a cold day !

that slice certainly is one of the old favourites here in NZ,  Meat pies? who knows, I suspect it is shrouded in mists of time and is a favourite still on both sides of the Ditch!  even though there are lots of other savouries available today. :) Pavlova is definitely ours though!

Leslie

Totally jealous of your beautiful country although as most countries go I think we have about the strongest ties of any two nations out cultures are so similar it's just that you guys don't know how to pronounce the 'i' in most words eg. You like to use a pn to write with but then you say kiwi just perfectly. I remember as many ozzies visiting NZ and just being in awe of mount mr rapehu (sp?) and roturua etc - we know out landscape is boring in comparison and that's why really we take the piss out of y'all - in any group of kids there was always one or two born in NZ or parents from NZ. John Stewart wrote a satirical book about world politics for stupid people and in it he boiled down New Zealand as 'Australia's Canada' one of the funniest things in print !

that takes the piss out of the aussies that is very droll!    ...  

yep mostly a great banter between two very alike neighbouring nations!   and yep we beat em again in the rugby this weekend.

happy baking Kendalm and macette and all the other kiwis/aussies out there - memory lane is wonderful!

According to some (possibly dodgy) statistics that I read last year, there are more Kiwi's who identify with rugby union than organised religion, which could explain why they are currently so good at the sport. Not forgetting that it was a long time between drinks when it came to the RWC.

Also in the possibly dodgy stats, the participation (playing and watching on a regular basis) in Aussie of ball sports (oval and round) is ranked in order of:

Aussie Rules

Rugby League (about 2/3s of Aussie Rules)

Soccer (about 2/3s of League)

Rugby Union (about 1/2 of soccer). Which if I recall correctly (and I may be wrong about the number) was less than 300,000.

Which could explain why, when Australia gets flogged by NZ at union, they just go "who cares?"

Here on Vancouver Island (west coast of Canada) we proudly claim Nanaimo Bars as our own. Soooooo good! However, your coconut slice looks amazing too! :)

My wife's parents are friends with a family from Alberta, and my wife swears she makes the best Nanaimo bars.  She also worked with a gal from Toronto who had a family Nanaimo recipe, and I work with a guy from Saskatchewan who remembers them from his childhood.  

Definitely a Canadian thing, but I wonder where the actual point of origin was.  Could be Vancouver as you suggest ;-)

     --Mike

You can even get them in England now! However, it's pretty certain they were invented in Nanaimo, and definitely not in Vancouver! If I so much as suggested that here on the Island I'd probably be incarcerated for blasphemy or something. :)

Never ever heard of a Nanaimo bar - somehow reminds me of lamingtons which are a cake dipped in chocolate sauce the spinkles with coconut. I never thought they were anything special but somehow they always showed up at fundraisers for community centers. I wonder if it similar with your Nanaimo bar ?

yes had a go at those, with great success loved them but really messy to make....I would like to try a matchstick do you remember and a cream bun...lol more bread than anything but delicious use to get one on the way to school....lol

What I do remember though is all the incredible ice creams from streets that we'd go nuts for at the milk bar - in USA the ice cream selection is kind of dull there isn't really a big interest in what's in the ice cream freezers usually drum sticks and Popsicles - no commercials on tv announcing the next crazy ice cream and most of all no mr whippy - oh what I would do for a double come of whippy straight vanilla no chocolate nothin'

haven't tried to make lamingtons as coconut isn't a favourite of hubby, but found at many a fund raiser. 

I found a recipe for them and you don't need to bake them....saved to my collection !

Toast

cgap on 18 Aug 2017 at 22:20

So Dr Wood and Ms Utrecht have discovered the origins of Pavlova eh?

Siding with the Yanks and the Poms?

Treasonous behaviour!

 

 

the Americans lost it to history and it would have shrivelled up and stayed there had not your two countries preserved it for future generations to argue about.  Nothing like a good competition to keep a recipe alive!   So..... both your countries are life savers for Pavlova.   You don't have to faint, you can pat yourselves on the back and still figure out who did the initial saving until it caught on as a tradition in both countries.   :)   

I didn't even know what Pavlova was until you brought it up.  So I've learned something too.  Thanks.  :)

The kiwis and the aussies have always been competitive it's in the blood especially when it comes to cricket and rugby...and Pavlova...lol probably because they are so alike, people even mistake our accents. But I do believe your right about us both saving Pavlova but that's because we both thought it was our own....lol...lol

haven't ever bothered to make my own pies as they are too easy to come by here of course.  I do remember using soy sauce and worchester sauce as seasoning though, and sometimes a little bit of vegemite/marmite as well :)

 The closest I get these days is using up left over mince, putting it in a small pie dish and topping with left over mashed potatoes a a grate of cheese.   I know, i know it's not the same... but probably better for us.  maybe next time will add the pastry.....   

mmm happy baking all, love reading about nanaimo too!

Leslie