Plantain Tarts - Another Yummy Jamaican Pastry!
I had been dreaming about plantain tarts for awhile. I had loads when I was a child, but in recent years, they seem to be harder to find. I longed to break one open to get a whiff of the red plantain filling inside before devouring it like I did so many times before.
Luckily, Claudette of Casuarina Cottage told me that she would make some plantain tarts for me. Those of you who do not know what these look like, here is a photo of Claudette's freshly baked plantain tarts.
Of course, some of the readers of this page may not be familiar with plantains. Well, a plantain is very much like a big banana. It cannot be eaten raw. It's a Jamaican favourite at meal times when boiled, fried, or used to make pastry. Green plantains are also used to make chips (crisps).
Image (above from Wikipedia) shows green plantains on the left of various types of bananas.
Claudette made her plantain tarts by boiling the plantains in their skins in salted water for about ten minutes. When cooked, she took them out of the water and cooled them, skinned them, cut them in half and sliced down the middle to remove the very small seeds. She mashed the boiled plantains with nutmeg, mixed spice, a little brown sugar (optional), almond flavouring and a little red food colouring. When this paste is fully mixed, then the raisins are added.
The pastry is made with flour and margarine, rolled out and cut to size. The pastry is folded over the plantain paste and sealed by pressing the edges with a fork. The tarts are baked for twenty to twenty-five minutes, removed from the oven and sprinkled with white sugar, and left to cool.
Of course, when next you stay at Casuarina Cottage, you must ask Claudette to make plantain tarts for you. If you are staying at another Silver Sands villa, ask your cook if she can make them. It's a great Jamaican pastry that you and your children will love!
