How to make a Mauritian Tourte Rodriguaise (Papaya and Coconut Pie)
Impress guests by serving as a desert or spice up afternoon tea with a slice of this Papaya and Coconut Pie from Selina Periampillai’s cookbook: The Island Kitchen…
The ‘tourte’ is a French-Rodriguan recipe with a jam-like, tropical fruit filling encased in a buttery shortcrust pastry. These decorative pies are a real feature of the bustling Port Mathurin bazaar on the north coast of the island.
They are all creatively crimped, and traditionally the names of the fruit within are written in pastry on the top of each pie. A slice of this is great as an afternoon treat or dessert.
There are a few variations with these fillings and my other favourites include plain coconut, local honey and lemons, and coconut with chocolate.
Serves: 8
Prep: 10 mins, plus 30 mins chilling
Cook: 40 mins, plus 15 mins cooling
Tourte Rodriguaise ingredients
For the pastry:
250g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
125g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg (at room temperature), beaten
1-2 tbsp milk
Egg or milk, for glazing
For the filling:
2 ripe papayas (or 1 pineapple)
150g unrefined sugar or cane sugar
1 small coconut, freshly grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
How to make Tourte Rodriguaise: The full recipe
Tourte Rodriguaise, or Papaya and Coconut Pie (Yuki Sugiura)
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the cubes of butter, using your fingers and thumb to rub it into the flour until you end up with a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle in the cinnamon.
- Add the egg and milk into the mixture and work together gently until you have pastry. Don’t work the dough too much at this stage. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.
- Prepare the filling by peeling the papayas. Remove the seeds, cut into cubes and place the fruit in a heavy saucepan. (Or chop your pineapple into small chunks.)
- Add the sugar and cook until the mixture browns and thickens. Tip in the grated coconut and vanilla extract and combine well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4
- Divide the pastry in two and roll out one half on a lightly-floured surface, about 5mm in thickness. Use to line a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing down to stick at the edges and trim the excess.
- Spoon the cooled filling into the tart and spread evenly. Roll out a 20cm circular lid from the remaining pastry and use it to cover the filling, pinching the edges to seal, then trim the excess.
- Decorate the pie with the remaining dough trimmings and brush the top with egg or milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the crust turns golden brown in colour. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before lifting out. Allow to cool to room temperature , then slice to serve.
Note: If using a conventional oven (not fan), then place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven to ensure the pastry is cooked throughout.
The Island Kitchen by Selina Periampillai (Bloomsbury, £26) is published 2nd May 2019 Photography © Yuki Sugiura
Selina Periampillai is a london-based self-taught chef born to Mauritian parents. Her first book: The Island Kitchen: Recipes from Mauritius and the Indian Ocean will take you on a journey around the Indian Ocean Islands, to taste the flavours of the markets of Mauritius, the spuce garden of the Seychelles and the fishing coasts of the Maldives.
The book includes 80 simple recipes ranging from quick and easy mid-week meals to large rum-filled gatherings.
