A slice of sweet nostalgia

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2023 (633 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today’s holiday dessert is a sweet nostalgic slice courtesy of Joy Leschasin.

This dessert bar has been included in my holiday baking for over 40 years. It has also been a go-to recipe for bridal and baby showers over the years.

When he was little, our son used to pull up a footstool and watch me assemble the ingredients for this slice. I think of him when I look at this recipe.

Pineapple and Cherry Slice

Base

500 ml (2 cups) flour
250 ml (1 cup) butter or margarine
30 ml (2 tbsp) icing sugar

Filling
1 can crushed pineapple
125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar
30 ml (2 tbsp) cornstarch
80 ml (1/3 cup) chopped maraschino cherries
60 ml (1/4 cup) cherry juice
2 1/2 ml (1/2 tsp) almond extract

Topping
2 egg whites
30 ml (2 tbsp) icing sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla
Shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the flour, butter or margarine and icing sugar together in a bowl until it holds together like pie pastry. Press into a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool partially.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine filling ingredients and cook until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour over the base layer.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in icing sugar and vanilla. Spread the egg white mixture over the filling and cover with a sprinkling of coconut.

Bake until delicately browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

— Submitted by Joy Leschasin

Eva Wasney
Reporter

Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.

Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.