Jamaican Fruit Pie Recipes

SHARON'S JAMAICAN FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then add rum, lime juice, vanilla, almond extract, and lime zest. Stir in mixed fruit, wine, and molasses. Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Fold into batter, being careful not to over-mix. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 80 to 90 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, add the flour, turmeric , salt, and vegetable shortening. Rub the shortening into the flour using your fingers until there are tiny pieces of shortening completely covered with flour and it has a sandy texture.
• Pour in 1/2 cup of the ice water and mix with your hands to bring the dough together. Keep adding ice water 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time until the mixture forms a smooth dough.
• Cut the dough into 2 large pieces. Wrap each and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes. Alternatively, before refrigerating, divide the dough into 10 to 12 individual pieces-use a food scale if you want them to be the same size.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the beef in a large bowl. Add the pepper and allspice. Mix together and set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
• Add the chili, if using, thyme, and garlic. Continue to sauté for another minute. Season with salt to taste.
• Add the ground beef to the pan and stir to mix, breaking up any large clumps. Let cook until the meat is no longer pink.
• Add the ketchup. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Pour in the water or broth, stirring to combine.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and whatever is remaining has reduced to a thick sauce.
• Fold in the green onions. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Position 2 racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F. ​ Generously flour the work surface. Unwrap 1 of the pieces of dough and roll it out into a very large circle.
• Cut out 3 circles with a bowl or dish of approximately 5 inches in diameter. If you divided the dough into 10 to 12 small balls, roll them all out into a circle of approximately 5 inches in diameter.
• Place about 3 heaping tablespoons of the filling onto one half of each circle. Dip a finger into a bit of water and moisten the edges of the pastry.
• Fold over the other half and press to seal. With a fork, crimp the edges to close. Cut off any extra to give the patties a uniform look.
• Place the finished patties on two parchment-lined baking sheets and continue to work until you have rolled out all of the dough and used all of the beef. Place in the fridge until ready to bake.
• Just before baking, beat the egg and the remaining 1 tablespoon of water together to make an egg wash . Brush the assembled patties with egg wash.
• Bake patties until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, flipping baking sheets in the oven halfway through cooking. Cool on wire racks. Enjoy warm.

JAMAICAN HAND PIES

Steps:

• To make the pastry: Combine flour, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add the coconut oil to the flour mixture and mix ingredients with hands until it resembles fine sand, or pulse ingredients in a food processor. Combine the vinegar and water. Add the vinegar mixture to the pastry mixture one tablespoon at a time while mixing and being careful not to overwork the dough. The consistency is right when the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Squeeze dough into a tight ball, flatten, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. To make the filling: In a medium-sized pan, over medium-low heat, melt coconut oil. Add the onion, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the garlic to the onion mixture and cook an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add green peas, corn, cabbage, thyme, and lemon juice. Cover, and cook for another 3 minutes. Taste for seasoning and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove dough from refrigerator. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly dust work surface with flour and roll out dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into 6-inch circles using a cookie-cutter or bowl to measure. Spoon 2 liberal tablespoons of filling onto one side of each circle, leaving about 1/8 inch border to seal. If dough is dry, wet fingers before sealing each one. Fold uncovered half of pastry over the filling to create a half-moon dumpling and press edges to seal. Press sealed edge with fork tines to create ridges. Transfer patties to the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Serve immediately with hot sauce.