A Dessert as Light as Spring
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The years of World War II had some of the coldest winters on record. Bitter cold and inclement weather greatly influenced—and sometimes directed—military campaigns. They also affected the home front.
Rationed fuel, clothing and warmth-giving foods such as meat and fats made daily life all the more challenging. The stores of home-canned goods from last year’s victory garden would have been running low. Not only budding plants and thawing earth, but also warmer temperatures, would have been most welcome.
A Cooler Treat for Warmer Weather
The change of season would surely have brought a change in tastes. Heavy puddings and spice cakes would be set aside for light and fruity desserts—like Plaza Pineapple Meringue.
Pineapples were an exotic fruit that could only be grown in certain locations. They were less available than fruits like apples or berries. However, it was possible to get canned pineapple using ration points.
The Other Problem with Rationing
The difficulty with getting some items on the points system was that canned goods were limited, not due to lack of the food items but due to the lack of metal. It was needed for war uses. Sometimes ordinary ingredients were unavailable for the duration of the war simply because there wasn’t enough metal or glass to package them.
Plaza Pineapple Meringue uses only one tinned item—the pineapple slices. Like most other desserts, it would been a special treat during the war because it also includes eggs, brown and white sugar. However, this is a dessert that lends itself to a number of alterations. The brown sugar could be replaced by other, more readily available sweeteners such as golden syrup, corn syrup or even molasses.
People didn’t really need to buy brown sugar. They could add a bit of molasses—a leftover from sugar processing—to white sugar and mix it together to make their own. The can of pineapple slices held the needed cup of pineapple juice so those were in only one can.
Wartime Versatility
This recipe could be changed, too, if canned pineapple were not available. For instance, I could lightly simmer thin apple slices in a cup of apple juice until soft; then, use the apple slices and the juice. Apples were easy to grow locally in many parts of the world and lend themselves to all kinds of seasonings. Also, strawberries—or other soft berries—could be used. Even using a cup of berry puree instead of the pineapple juice could work.
Two egg whites provided more than the six tablespoons of meringue needed to top six pineapple slices, which is all that would fit in my 9x13 (23x33cm) dish. So, if a wartime homemaker had wanted to make this dessert with only one egg, that would have been possible. The meringue puffs would have been a bit smaller but it would have worked—and the unused egg yolk could flavor so many other recipes.
This dessert does stretch limited quantities of the rationed ingredients to make a large, family-sized dessert. It is very light and not overly sweet, and it is attractive enough for guests. It would be beautiful served in a fancy baking dish or individual ramekins—just the thing for welcoming a new season—and the end of the war.
Plaza Pineapple Meringue
As the 1940 advertisement says, "Just look! Just taste!" A versatile and inexpensive dessert that takes minutes to make and is pretty enough for guests.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine Minute Tapioca, sugar, salt, water, and pineapple juice in saucepan and mix well. Bring mixture quickly to a full boil over direct heat, stirring constantly.
- Remove from fire and add butter. Turn into large, shallow baking dish. Arrange pineapple slices on top.
- Beat 2 egg whites until foamy; add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition until sugar is blended. Then beat until mixture will stand in peaks.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of meringue in center of each slice of pineapple. Bake in moderate oven (350°F/180°C) 15 minutes, or until meringue is delicately browned.
- Serve hot or cold.
References
Pineapple photo by Mieke Campbell on Unsplash.
Advertisement with recipe, Country Gentleman, April 1940. Volume 110 Number 4. Philadelphia, PA: The Curtis Publishing Company, p. 83.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23