Paifala (pie-fall-uh)

And here we are. I tried to tap into my inner Samoan Betty Crocker skills and whip out a batch of delicious paifalas (half moon pies with a pineapple filling). A staple in my childhood diet, paifalas were a treat best served with a side of vanilla ice cream (but I try to be open-minded and allow all varieties of ice cream to join in the fun). My fondest memory of devouring one of these came during a muggy Samoan night when my Bobby Flay of an uncle, who had just gotten home from a laborious day, came into the kitchen and enlisted all of the cousins and I to help make them. Even though it was a hot summer night, that little kitchen  churning out more heat than a sauna, we kept at it. Because we were children. And our sweet tooth didn't allow for breaks in case the paifalas would cease to exist the second we left to get some air. So on that wooden picnic table, fashioned as a dining table, in the kitchen we sat as our poor little 1950s oven  made magic. In that cramped little room were the cousins, the neighbors, and the parents too if the children allowed them some room. But we didn't. Good times. So I tried to relive that memory in this ol' kitchen of mine; recipe courtesy of panipopos blogspot (another delish dessert I'll need to try again).  

Filling:

2 cups crushed pineapple (drained)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 syrup from pineapple 

Piecrust:

3 cups flour (I all this last and kinda just eyeball it depending on the outcome of batter)

2 teaspoon of BAKING POWDER

1/3 coconut milk

pinch of salt

Pre-oven...not looking too pretty.

The Aftermath

I zoomed in on this perfect little bugger. 

Shout out to the homie that's been there through it all: Google!