Jamaican Cookery

Gizzada is an old-time favourite pastry among Jamaicans.

Ingredients for filling

1 cup water

2 cups grated coconut

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. nut meg

1 oz. margarine

Method
step1
Boil water and sugar together to make syrup, over low flames. Boil until  liquid becomes thick. Add grated coconut and nutmeg to syrup. Stir the ingredients to avoid thicken. Boil for twenty minutes. Add butter, stir ingredients constantly to avoid liquid becomes too thick, the butter should dissolved and not visible. Boil for another seven minutes. Remove pot from fire and allow the liquid (filling) to cool.

Ingredients for pastry

2 cups  flour

2 cups ice water (water from the fridge)

1 tsp. shortening

1 tsp. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

Method
step1

Swift flour and salt together into a bowl. Cut butter and shortening in small pieces then add to flour and salt. Use hand to mix flour with ice water into dough.

step2

Place dough in foil wrap, then put in fridge for at least one hour. Use rolling pin to roll the dough on a cutting board to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cooker cutter to cut circles in the dough. (or a 8 oz. glass) cut as many circles as you can. Pinch (crimping) each of the circle to form a casing. Place the circles on a grease baking sheet and bake at 350  degrees for fifteen minutes.

step3

Remove it from the oven then add filling to each circle. Place back in the oven and bake gizzada for another twenty minutes.