Make Dessert a Tropical Wonderland with a Papaya Pie

Credit: Alia Shahnaz

“Papaya Pie was Mum’s award winning recipe which she submitted for a contest to promote the launch of 2 products..no prizes for guessing which :)”

~ A Day At Mummy’s Table: Recipes & Reminiscences

Feel like calling friends over for tea? Surprise them with a tropical-themed pie that not only wow your friends but also challenge your creative side to think out of the box and adapt the age-old pie recipe to something new and exciting!

Let’s get started!

Ingredients

For Filling

• 2.5 lbs pared and diced ripe papaya
• Pastry for 9 inch pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 4ozs tin NESTLE PURE THICK CREAM
• ½ cup Nestle Ideal Evaporated Milk
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange essence
• Dash of salt

Topping*

1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon orange rind or lemon rind.

For Pastry

• 4 ozs plain flour
• 2 ozs self-rising flour
• 2 ozs Crosse & Blackwell Custard Powder
• Ice water to mix
•  2 ozs butter
• 2 ozs margarine

Love a shortcrust pastry?

We recommend 8oz of flour (225 grams) to 3.5oz (100g)  butter and a pinch of salt.

Method

For Filling

1. Wash the papaya and cut in half.
2. Remove seeds and fibre. Cut into 1 inch length-wise strips.
3. Pare thinly then dice.
4. Put into saucepan. Place over heat (no water) and cook and stir with wooden spoon 30 to 35 minutes or until cooked down to thick puree consistency.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Cool slightly. Mash it up with a fork.
7. There should be 1.5 cups of puree.

For Pastry

1. Sift dry ingredients into a basin, rub in margarine and butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Mix to form a stiff dough with water.
3. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured board.
4. Line a greased 9-inch pan.
5. Inch edge decoratively.
6. Brush base of empty pastry case with egg white (use some of the white from one of the eggs)
7. Leave for 15 minutes.

For Filling

1. Beat eggs with rotary beater.
2. Beat in papaya puree and sugar.
3. Remove from the beater. Stir in remaining ingredients except for the topping mixture.
4. Turn the filling into a pastry lined pan.
5. Sprinkle with topping of sugar, orange rind and lemon rind.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in moderate oven or until crust is brown and custard set.

*Top does not brown
 **Remove to cake rack for 2 to 3 hours before cutting.