A taste of Mauritian Desert on your table
Banana Tart (Tartes Banane)
Ingredients
- 500 g Very ripe bananas approx. 15
- 1 Vanilla bean pod
- ¼ tsp Vanilla essence
- Brown or raw sugar
- 500 g Plain flour
- 250 g Unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
- 3 Eggs
- 100 ml Water
Instructions
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Peel bananas and discard the skin. Place bananas into a large bowl and mash using a fork, one at a time.
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Slice the vanilla bean pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds, add both to the banana mixture.
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Add vanilla essence and 4 tbs sugar to the banana mixture and mix well.
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Transfer to a large saucepan with a lid and place on low heat for approximately 45 minutes. Stir occasionally with caution as the banana may have the tendency to splatter. Allow some of the mixture to stick and burn at the base of the pot, scraping this off as you stir to darken the texture.
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Meanwhile, add flour, butter, 2 egg yolks, and 4 tbsp sugar to a large mixing bowl. Combine the mixture by hand, using your thumb and fingers to pinch and rub the contents together until all lumps are gone and you are left with a crumble-like texture.
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Create a well in the center of the bowl and add the water. Continue to mix until a dough is formed and gently knead. Wrap dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Once the banana filling has darkened and thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease small tart tins with butter.
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Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to 3mm thick and use a glass to cut out circles, large enough to line tart tins and its sides. Reserve some of the dough for the lattice top.
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Use a fork to poke a few holes at the base of the pastry and then fill to top with the cooled-down banana mixture.
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Roll out the remaining dough and slice it into thin strips. Weave strips to the top of the tart, placing horizontally and vertically as shown pictured. Seal edges by pressing down with a fork.
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Brush tops of tarts with the egg yolk of 1 egg and place in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.
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Serve hot out the oven with vanilla ice cream or enjoy cooled.
Notes
- Something different? Try adding crushed almond, dark chocolate or a dash of spiced rum to the banana mixture when cooking for a kick.
- Use caution when cooking as the banana will have the tendency to splatter.
Gateau Napolitaines
Ingredients
- 3 cups Plain flour
- 300 g Unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
- Jam preferably strawberry
- 2 cups Icing sugar
- Water room temperature
- Pink food colouring
- Vanilla extract
Instructions
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Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and add butter.
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Combine the mixture using your thumb and fingers to pinch and rub the contents together until all lumps are gone and you are left with a crumble-like texture.
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Combine and press the mixture into a ball and gently knead over a lightly floured surface to bond together. Wrap dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Remove dough from the fridge and return to the lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
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Roll dough out to 6mm thick and use a 4cm diameter round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place on a tray lined with baking paper. Combine unused dough and roll out again, repeating the progress until the majority of the dough can be used and that there are an even number of cuts.
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Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
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Once cooled, place half a tsp of jam between two biscuits and sandwich together. Place on an icing (or oven) rack with a tray underside.
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Sift icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Create a ‘well’ in the center of the bowl and mix in 1 tbsp of water, 1 drop of food colouring, and 1 drop of vanilla extract. Continue to add ½ tbsp of water at a time, mixing well to create icing to a consistency similar to honey.
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Use a ladle or a large spoon to pour icing evenly over each biscuit to coat. The tray underneath should capture any excess icing to be re-poured.
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Allow the icing to set for a couple of hours and enjoy with a hot cup of tea.
Notes
- This recipe requires preparation half an hour in advance, not included in prep time.
- Do not over-knead the dough as you may lose the crumbling texture.
- Alternatively use a shot glass to cut out circles in the dough.
- Gradually add water. If icing becomes too runny add additional icing sugar as necessary.
- Although pink is the traditional colour, get creative with other colours or try pouring multiple colours together to create a marble texture. Adding a few drops of lemon or lime juice will also give it some shine.
- Store in an airtight container.
Alouda
Ingredients
- 7 g Agar agar
- Water
- 1 tbsp Raw sugar
- 3 tbsp Casa-casa (basil seeds), alternatively use chia seeds
- 375 ml Condensed milk
- 750 ml Milk
- ¼ tsp Almond essence
- Green food coloring alternatively pink
Instructions
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A day prior… Place agar agar in a medium saucepan with 200ml cold water and let settle for 2 hours until soft.
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Place the saucepan on medium heating stirring repeatedly until agar agar has completely dissolved.
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Stir in 2 tbsp raw sugar and bring to boil until sugar has completely dissolved.
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Transfer to a heat-proof dish, allow to cool, and then refrigerate overnight to set into a mousse.
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Cooking day… Shred agar agar mousse using a grater and set aside.
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Place casa-casa seeds in a large bowl and pick out any notable bad seeds. Stir in 8 cups of cold water and give a stir to separate. Let settle until seeds have expanded, approximately 30 minutes.
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Once seeds have expanded, stir in condensed milk followed by milk and agar agar mousse gratings.
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Stir in the almond essence and 3 drops of the food colouring then mix well.
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Transfer to a jug, keep refrigerated and serve chilled in a glass over ice.
Notes
- This recipe requires preparation one day in advance, not included in prep time.
- Agar agar and casa-casa seeds can be found in local Asian grocery stores.
- Try serving over a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of ice.
- Add additional sugar if required to suit preferred sweetness.
- Best kept up to a day or as per milk expiration date.
Vegetarian Samosas
Ingredients
- 400 g Brushed Potatoes approx. 4 medium
- 1 Carrot
- Olive oil
- 1 Medium brown onion finely chopped
- 6 Curry leaves chopped
- 1 tsp Thyme leaves removed from sprigs
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 Chilli finely sliced, optional
- ½ cup Frozen green peas
- 1 ½ tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Tumeric powder
- ½ tsp Curry powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- ½ cup Spring onion approx. 6 sprigs, sliced
- ¼ cup Coriander chopped
- 375 g Fillo pastry sheets alternatively spring roll paper
- 2 tbsp Plain flour
- Water
Instructions
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Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Meanwhile, prepare potatoes and carrots by peeling and cutting them into 1cm cubes. Add carrot/potatoes to the pot and boil for approximately 10-15 minutes until soft but not overcooked. Drain and set aside.
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In a large frypan, heat some oil over medium heat and add onion, curry leaves, thyme, garlic and chilli until onions become soft and transparent.
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Add frozen green peas and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
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Add drained potatoes/carrot followed by cumin powder, turmeric powder and curry powder. Stir well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
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Add spring onion and coriander and stir until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside allowing the mixture to cool down completely.
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Once the mixture has cooled completely, cut the fillo pastry sheets into 6cm wide strips, use 2 layers of strips at a time for filling. Place a damp cloth over the remaining sheets so that they don’t dry out.
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Mix 2 tbsp flour with 4 tbsp water to create a paste (glue). Place 1 tbsp of the curry mixture at the bottom right corner of the strip. Using your finger, dip in the paste and brush alongside the adjacent (left) side of the strip and fold diagonally to create a triangle. Continue to fold over shaping the strip into the form of a triangle, using the paste to glue corners and final fold together.
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Place on a tray and repeat with remaining pastry sheets and mixture. Keep samosas separated on the tray as they might stick together.
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Samosas can be frozen and cooked from frozen in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes or deep fry for 5 to 10 minutes until golden. Serve hot.
Chilli Cakes (Gateaux Piments)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Yellow split peas approx. 250g
- ½ Medium onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Spring onion approx. 2 sprigs, chopped
- 2 tbsp Coriander chopped
- 4 Curry leaves chopped
- 2-4 Red chillies qty to suit preference, finely chopped
- ½ tsp whole cumin seed alternatively ground cumin seed
- Salt
- 750 ml Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
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A day prior… Place yellow split peas in a bowl and fill with room temperature water to soften. Allow to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
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Cooking day… Drain peas using a sieve and rinse under cold running water, set aside and allow to drain well.
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Place 1 cup full of peas at a time in a blender or food processor and blend on a low setting. Do not over blend as an inconsistent (chopped and grainy) texture is ideal.
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Transfer blended peas to a mixing bowl.
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Add onions, coriander, curry leaves, chilllies, cumin seed to mixing bowl followed by salt to taste. Mix well.
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Roll up the mixture into small bite size balls without over compacting. Alternatively flatten ball and poke a hole in the centre to create donut shaped bites.
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Heat enough oil in a deep saucepan that will slightly cover balls over medium heat. Alternatively use a deep fryer set to 375 degrees F (190 C).
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Gently place several balls in the saucepan and deep fry for roughly 4 minutes, rotating until golden brown and cooked through.
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Transfer cooked chilli cakes to a platter lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oils, serve immediately hot as a snack or in a buttered baguette.
Notes
- This recipe requires preparation one day in advance, not included in prep time.
- As a healthier option, you can bake or air fry the chilli cakes.
- Freeze any unused mixture for up to a couple months if made of fresh ingredients.
