Fruit slices - a quick and easy sweet treat

Sweet slices used to be very popular in Australia. A sandwich or base of pastry with a filling, sometimes fruit or custard, sometimes something more exotic. There was a time when many Australian social gatherings featured a variety of slices and cakes and everyone had their favourite recipe. But over the years slices have gone out of fashion. You still see them at some local and many country bakeries and bakers still pride themselves on their slices. Recently I was pleased to see Fiona at Inner Pickle blog feature a slice every Wednesday. She even wrote about my favourite slice - the coconut. It's a mixture of coconut topping with raspberry jam on a pastry base. Mmmmm. If you're looking for slice recipes go no further than Inner Pickle for fine recipes and excellent photos.

I make slices here occasionally and one of the reasons I'm writing about them today is that they're so easy to make and are a good way of using stockpile items - such as canned fruit. Hanno's favourite slice is my canned pineapple slice. These slices are great to have on hand over the holiday season because they're quick and easy to make and everyone loves them. If you're having relatives or friends visiting over the Christmas holidays, bake one of these slices and watch people line up for more.

The basic pastry for a slice is so easy to make and even if you're not a great pastry cook, this one will soon be added to your favourites. It's also a good base for cheesecake if you don't want to buy biscuits for a biscuit base.

SLICE PASTRY - enough for two slabs of pastry. If you're making a slice with no top, use half these quantities.

• 2 cups self raising flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 155 grams (1 stick + 1 tablespoon) cold butter
• 1 large egg
• small amount cold water

Place flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and blitz until the butter is incorporated into the flour and sugar (20 seconds). Add the egg and process for 10 seconds. You want the flour mixture to look dry but when you take some in your hand, it presses together and doesn't fall apart. If it's too dry to do that, add a teaspoon of cold water and try again. When the pastry stays together in a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and sit it in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Press the pastry down with your fingers. You can go over it with the base of a glass if you want to even it out. I never do, this side of the base will be covered with filling.

Use enough flour on your bench and rolling pin so the pastry doesn't stick, but don't overdo the flour. Too much at this stage will make the pastry tough.

 I cut this pastry top in two so it was easier to place. The join was smoothed over with a sharp knife. Cut the edges off the pastry if it's too big for the baking tin.

I used last year's preserved peaches for this slice. I wanted to use them before we started buying this season's fruit. I didn't add cornflour to this filling and it's just a bit too moist. It tasted good though.

 The baked slice. You can just see where I joined the two pastry pieces together.

When you're ready to cook the slice, divide the pastry in two and put half in the base of a greased slice tin (35cm long x 20 cm wide x 4 cm deep) that is lined with baking paper. Press the pastry in with your fingers and make sure it's firm. Add the filling, then roll out the remaining pastry dough and carefully place it on the top of the filling. I often cut the top in two, it's easier to handle. This party is short so it has a tendency to crumble. The trick is to roll it out then gently roll it around the rolling pin to place it on the slice.

SLICE FILLINGS
Here are two quick and easy fillings that do well in slices and pies. If you're looking for more filling recipes, just click on the Inner Pickle link above.

Pineapple slice

PINEAPPLE SLICE FILLING

Large tin of pineapple pieces, including the juice

2 level tablespoons of cornflour

Place the pineapple pieces with juice into a saucepan. Remove about ¼ cup of the juice and mix it with the cornflour in a cup. Turn on the heat, mix the cornflour into the pineapples pieces and stir until the mixture thickens, then take off the heat and cool down a little.  

You could use any canned fruit you had on hand and just as with the pineapple filling, use the juice to mix in with the cornflour. Heat the fruit, add the cornflour and thicken, then cool.

QUICK CHEESECAKE FILLING - doesn't need cooking, will set in the fridge
375g soft cream cheese (13 oz)
1 tin condensed milk - my recipe for homemade is here
juice of 2 lemons

Mix the cream cheese with a hand beater until it's smooth. Add the condensed milk and lemon juice and mix until thoroughly combined.  Pour over an already cooked base.  Add some berry fruit for garnish - sliced strawberries or whole blueberries, and put in the fridge for about four hours,  or overnight, to set.

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