A General Note
IRENE’ S
By Colette Maclennan @ thegeneralstore _ sa
Extract from The General Store, Dressed & Seasoned by Colette Maclennan, published by Quivertree Publications. Retail price: R650.
Napolitaines are traditional Mauritian biscuits that my granny used to make when I was little. This recipe isn’ t her exact one, but it is the version that’ s circulated throughout my family. Before I opened The General Store, it was Irene, a darling family friend, who eventually taught me how to perfect them. They can be a little tedious to assemble, but they are melt-in-the-mouth delicious and worth the effort.
Makes 20 – 30
What You ' ll Need
• 285g butter
• 450g flour, plus extra for dusting
• 12g baking powder
• pinch of salt
• guava jam, for filling
For the icing
• 500g icing sugar
• 15ml boiling water
• 14g butter, melted
• 15ml lemon juice
• pink food colouring
Let ' s Bake
1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter in a pot on a low heat, taking care not to let it brown or burn.
Pour into a bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder and salt to form a dough. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes.
3. Gently knead the dough to make it workable, then divide in half. Place one half between two sheets of baking paper and roll out to 4 – 5mm thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into 3cm rounds, then repeat with the second portion of dough. Press the offcuts back together, reroll and cut until you have finished all the dough.
4. Arrange the rounds on the baking trays and bake for 8 – 12 minutes, or until a very light golden colour. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When the biscuits are cool, sandwich two together using roughly half a teaspoon of guava jam.
5. While the biscuits are cooling, make the icing.
6. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then stir in the boiling water and melted butter. The icing should be thick but pourable, so you might need to add another drop or two of water. Add a drop of food colouring to make a very pale pink colour.
7. Set the sandwiched cookies on top of the cooling rack and, using a teaspoon, cover them in the pink icing, allowing the excess to drip off evenly. 8. Leave to set.
A General Note
Guava jam is traditional in Napolitaines, but it can be tricky to get hold of. Apricot or strawberry jam works just as well.