What is that icing they put on matchsticks in good cafes? It's been done like that for at least half a century. It's a stiff icing, very pale beige sort of colour, kind of chalky and very dry to eat. They put it on top of the matchstick and it kind of sticks out the ends because it's stiff. I vaguely feel it has something to do with marzipan but that could be completely wrong.

I am now intrigued as to what a matchstick is....
then I will think about the icing.

I love matchsticks... I think the icing is a type of meringue.

What are matchsticks that are not used for lighting things??? They must be edible but I can't say I've ever seen anything resembling a matchstick that you can eat!

I'd never heard of them, but on looking them up they seem to be an Australian tradition. If the icing is hard it is probably Royal Icing, made from egg white and icing sugar.

Aah, TPANDAV, you've found the answer, thanks. Because of what you said, I was able to type a search in re matchsticks and royal icing which resulted in a book link for Commercial Cookery by Stuart Walsh and Coral Walsh (Australian, as you say TPANDAV). I'd always thought, since the bakery cafes can replicate the same foods decade after decade, they must have long term recipes available from a source other than the changing owners and they do - books!

The book extract Google provides shows instructions and a picture of how to create the matchsticks (simply called matches in the book). If I hadn't read it, I would never have figured out how to do it the correct way. I also now know why the icing is always a pale beige colour - it's been cooked! Here's the method:
"Spread a thin layer of Royal Icing onto a well-docked rectangle of puff pastry; chill. Cut the chilled pastry into fingers approximately 3 cm wide, 8 cm long. Lay spaced out on a non-stick paper-lined baking tray. Bake at 170°C for 40 minutes. The pastry should be thoroughly cooked through and the icing not too dark. When cold, slice in half and spread with raspberry jam and pipe in whipped cream. Replace the lid."
"To 'dock' means to pierce holes in pastry to allow air to escape and limit the lift, spring or rise."

Here's the link if you want to look at the picture [books.google.co.nz]
(You may have to scroll down a little bit to get the correct picture - Figure 5.26 - it's under the method instructions, not above.)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2020 03:06AM by J1.

One of our family favourites from the Aunties afternoon teas in Wairoa.

1 egg white, pinch salt, 1.5 cups of icing sugar. Spoon on the top when the squares are cut. Then bake. It goes a lovely light fawn colour and is amazing. Try to keep the icing only on the top as it if goes down the side, it can prevent the pastry from rising.

Mum's recipe says 180 degrees, would this be high enough to cook the pastry?

cheers Gran



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2020 05:20AM by gran.

Gran, thanks very much for your input. I was starting to think matchsticks in NZ must be confined to a particular bakery cafe where I live (Griz lives here to, the only other person to say they knew what I was talking about), so it's great to hear from you that they are made in other parts of NZ. Aren't they delicious. Now I know how to do the icing, I can make my own! Not sure that I should though....

You say your mum's recipe is 180°C and ask whether that would be enough to cook the pastry. Based on the Commercial Cookery book I mentioned above which instructs 170°C for 40 minutes (which to me sounds a long time for stand-alone pastry), I'd think 180°C would be fine as long as you cook it for something like half an hour. Does your mum's recipe not say how long to cook for?

Thanks also for the quantities for the icing - I needed that. I was going to have to do another internet search and try and figure out quantities but you've saved me from having to do that.

10CC? I'm open to a taste test option if you are trialing a recipe!

J1, do you remember the Centerpoint cafe? Or the Wagon Wheels? cafe? I remember having matchsticks there in the 70's. We moved here from Chch in '73 I think. Lunch at Centerpoint was school holiday treat.

Yes, 10CC Griz. The Kloegs have owned it for years now and they still make the matchsticks the same as when Frank Bain used to have 10CC instead. (Frank now owns The Old Bakehouse in Victoria St - well, he did, I don't know if he's still there or not).

Yes, I remember the Centrepoint cafe and used to like buying something and sitting upstairs, looking at the view. I used to buy my lunch from Wagon Wheels cafe every day because I worked down the road - I loved their club sandwiches made with wholegrain bread and I could never get enough of their wholemeal dates scones filled with a generous dollop of soft butter. I think Yvonne & Phil McNeil took it over at some point and moved it to Food for Thought because I was delighted I could still get the same wholemeal date scone from there instead.

Do you remember the ice cream parlour next door to 10CC that had the donut machine in the window, and did the best spiders and sodas?
My favourite from 10CC at the time was a filled roll they did with ham chunks, cheese and pickled onions all mixed up with mayo. It was proper french baguette, not the cotton wool that was/is sold in supermarkets, but yes, I remember those matchsticks (they were also my Mum's favourite).
I also remember the best pies ever from "The Lunchbox"... I worked at Woolworths/LD Nathans/Deka (yes all 3!) and they were just around the corner, where the Milady bra shop is now I think. Wish I could get pies like that these days.

J1 No further instructions unfortunately, I have her hand written recipe book and many recipes have "usual method". I have 6 Aunties and it was decided that we daughters would create a Curtis afternoon tea cookbook. My cousin Carol was put in charge of editing and printing the book. Much to her despair many recipes had "usual method". The first recipe in the book is Nana's bread recipe.

We had wonderful afternoon teas with many cousins running around the house, climbing trees, doing cartwheels on the lawn while we waited for the call that would allow us inside. Each Aunty had her speciality, Aunty June was cream puffs, Aunty Edna was French bon bons, Aunty Mary was Napoleon cake, Aunty May and Mum were from out of town so they helped Aunty Dawn and Nana make the sausage rolls, cream horns, Donkey Dobs, Matches and sandwiches. Wonderful childhood memories.

cheers Gran

Griz, yes I do remember the ice cream parlour although I never went in it! My sister used to work there for a short while in her teens. I remember The Lunchbox too, but again, didn't go in that one. Have you tried the pies at The Old Bakehouse in Victoria St? Apparently they have a really good pie reputation. It's another place I haven't been into (I guess I've learnt avoidance behaviours )

Sounds brilliant Gran. I can just imagine Nana's bread recipe saying "usual method"!

J1, the pies there are REALLY good. I think we live in a pie paradise in the Wairarapa.