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Pineapple Squares
3 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 cup crushed pineapple 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 2/3 cup chopped nut meats 3 egg whites, beaten stiff Beat egg yolks, add sugar, pineapple, finely ground cracker crumbs and nut meats. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and bake in shallow pan 20 minutes in a moderate oven. Cut in squares. Makes three dozen 1 inch squares.
A flourless crumb bar leavened only by beaten egg white, closer to a soft torte than a cookie. Two details decide whether it works: how wet the pineapple is and how gently the whites go in.
- Moderate ovenSet the oven to 350F. At 20 minutes the top should be dry and lightly domed and the centre just set; it firms considerably as it cools.
- Drain the pineappleA cup of canned crushed pineapple straight from the tin carries several tablespoons of syrup, which will keep the centre soupy. Drain it well in a sieve, pressing lightly, and measure the fruit after draining.
- Graham cracker crumbsOne cup of fine crumbs is about 7 full graham cracker sheets, roughly 3 to 3.5 oz. The recipe says finely ground, and it matters: coarse crumbs stay gritty, since the only moisture in the mixture is the pineapple.
- Folding the whitesThere is no baking powder here, so the beaten whites are the only lift. Fold in a third first to loosen the heavy pineapple-crumb mixture, then the rest in two additions, stopping while a few streaks remain.
- Pan size"Shallow pan" means a sheet or jelly-roll style pan about 1 inch deep. The stated yield of thirty-six 1-inch squares points to a baked area of roughly 6 inches square; a larger pan gives a thinner, drier bar. Line it with parchment, since the sugar and fruit stick badly.
- YieldThree dozen 1-inch squares is a very small piece; cutting into fewer, larger squares is more practical for serving.
- Cool before cuttingCut warm, this tears and crumbles. Cool completely in the pan, then chill an hour if you want clean edges.
- Nuts"Nut meats" of this era usually meant walnuts or pecans; either suits the pineapple. Toast them first for flavour the original does not get.
Crumb-based bars like this one belong to the era when canned crushed pineapple from Hawaii became a cheap, year-round pantry staple in American kitchens, and when graham crackers were sold in quantity as a ready-made substitute for flour in puddings, crusts and squares. Recipes built on the pair spread widely through canners' promotional booklets and community cookbooks in the 1920s and 1930s.