Foodie

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Pineapple Tarts

These tarts are a must for the Chinese New Year. The jam is of pineapple and it is quite tedious to cook, so it is once a year affair for these tarts. This year i made the pastry from 3 recipes and they are all delicious but i like this recipe posted below. A fresh pineapple costs about 3 to 4 usd so i used canned crushed or chunk pineapples which is so easy and so much cheaper. I do not have to stand in front of the stove and stir until the cows come home, i cook them in the microwave.

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Ingredients:

Pastry:

A:565 gm (20 ozs) flour
2 tsp baking powder

225 gm(8 ozs) butter - chilled
113 gm(4 ozs) margarine - chilled

B:2 tbsp sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
3 drops of yellow food coloring
1/2 tsp salt


8 tbsp chilled water

Glaze:
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 drops of yellow food coloring


Method:

1. Sift A into food processor.

2. Beat B: lightly.

3. Cut chilled butter and margarine into small pieces and add in food processor(Step 1). Pulse until mixture resembles bread crumbs.

4. Pour in egg mixture B:(step 2) and pulse 2 more times, then add in the boiling water. Pulse until it forms a dough.

5. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.

Pineapple Filling/jam (To be made the day before shaping the tarts)

4 cans 20 ozs pineapple crushed/chunks(drain and pulse in food processor until fine)

sugar (amount of sugar should be equal to the pineapple pulp e.g. 1 cup pineapple pulp to 1 cup sugar. 3/4 cup of sugar will be acceptable as the canned pineapples do tend to be sweeter than fresh ones)

1 tbsp of lime/lemon juice

2 sticks of cinnamon bark

6 cloves

1 segment of star anise

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a big round pyrex bowl and microwave on high. Start with 15 mins, stir well, high for another 15 mins x 2. If jam is still runny, microwave at 1 min at a time until it is thick but still wet. It will thicken and dry out when it is cooled. If jam has gone too dry, just add enough water, stir well to dilute. Jam for filling should not be too dry as it will dry further when the tarts are baking. (The timing in the microwave is for making 4 cans of pineapples, so if you intend to try making with one can only, then the time taken in the microwave should be very much shorter)

To Make The Tarts

Cut the chilled pastry into 4.

Roll out to 2/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut with pineapple mould. Space the tarts 1 inch apart and when the whole baking sheet is full, brush with glaze.

Fill tarts wtih jam and top with a design. Glaze design.

Bake in preheated oven 375 f for 15 mins.

Note

Tarts can me moulded by hand into the shape of the pineapple with the jam enclosed. Use a pair of scissor to snip tiny 'v' shapes on the front half of the tart. Snip in rows. Place a clove to resemble the stem. Glaze before baking.



Serves

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

hie..i LOve all the recipes..it really help me a lot..thxz

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily

I guess it is Pineapple Tarts time again! I have tried 2 recipes so far but am still looking for a better one.

You mentioned adding 8 tablespoons of boiling water to the dough ... do you mean chilled boiled water?

Also, my food processor is not very big so I may have to make the batter in 2 batches. Do you think I can use my Kitchen Aid mixer instead? Would it make a lot of difference to the tarts.

I love the idea of using the microwave to cook the jam. I'm also going to use canned pineapple chunks which I got from Costco. The fresh ones are just too expensive.

Thanks for your recipes!

delmar

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily

Can you let me know if the 8 tablespoons of water are hot (boiling?) water or chilled boiled water? I would like to try your recipe and am especially excited about using the microwave to make the pineapple jam.

Thanks

delmar

Unknown said...

delmar

yes, use hot water but do not use all at once. i had to stop at 7 tbsp. this year.

you could use the cake mixer, use the paddle, mix the fat and flour until sandy like, add in the egg mixture and when well combine, add the hot water. a tbsp at a time until a dough is formed.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Lily

Sorry for bothering you with so many questions and email. Thanks for your response.

delmar

Unknown said...

delmar

it is not a problem, i will try and help in anyway i can

Anonymous said...

Hello Lily,

i'm wondering if the pastry for this tart is kind that's soft and crumbly and kinda melts in your mouth.

cheerio

Unknown said...

corey

this pastry is a little crunchy and if you want to melt in the mouth, follow this http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2007/02/pineapple-roll.html

Sharon said...

Hi Lily,

Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful recipes. I came across your blog while looking for a pineapple tart recipe and this was easy and wonderful!

just one question. I'm making some (or I should say a lot) for a friend's farewell party next week and was wondering how I should store them. Do I need to put them in the freezer and reheat them when serve or can I just leave them in a container at room temp? Don;t know if they will turn soggy or losing it's freshness?

A SAMH in France

Sharon said...

Hi Lily,

This is a wonderful blog with many yummy recipes! I came across this while seaching for a pineapple tart recipe and this was easy and nice. There are so many others that look so good... will definitely tried them. I've bookmark your blog in my fav.

I have a question about the storing of these tart. Do they freeze well if I'm making a lot at a time or can I just store them in a container at room temp? Wonder if it will be fresh if I eat them next week or the following?

SAHM expat in France!

Unknown said...

sharon

these tarts keep well in an airtight container kept at room temp. these tarts can be kept for a long time if the filling is cooked well otherwise they will turn moldy

Sharon said...

Thanks Lily!

I am making 200 pieces. Hope that it will still be fresh by the time I serve them!

And I did your suggestion of moulding by hand and the V shape on the tart.. and they looked pretty! Thanks a lot!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

I run a after school cooking club for my students. We made these tarts and I have to say they turned out pretty well. A lot of my male students watch a show called Naruto. On the show the characters eat something called melon bread. I wanted to try making a variation of this with them. I wanted to ask you if you know whether or not the top of the bread is similar to a sugar cookie? I also wanted to buy frozen yeast rolls defrost them let them rise and place sugar cookie dough on top and bake them. I was also thinking about following you jam recipe for the pinapple jam only instead of using pineapples I wanted to use honeydew melons for the jam for the bread. Do you think this would be to different from the original?

Unknown said...

rae1968

i have not eaten melon pan/bread before and i found a site which the bread is baked exactly with what you wanted to use. http://www.c4vct.com/kym/bento/melonpan.htm

I think that a little pectin should be added to make the honeydew jam.

Anonymous said...

I tried this recipe yesterday using star/heart/moon/flower cookie cutters as I could not find any pineapple tart cutter here at the Asian supermarket. I put the delicious jam on top and these cookies taste soooooo GOOD, even better the next day! I also did the pineapple roll Lily posted and if you were to ask me which is my fave? I would say both! I can't thank Lily enough for taking the time to share these recipes! Thank you Lily!

Anonymous said...

I am allergic to eggs - what would you substitute for the eggs in the batter recipe, if anything?

Unknown said...

crispinac

i don't really know what can be sub for eggs but a very short pastry can be made with butter and milk.

Chinneeq said...

Hi Lily,
I found your recipe while surfing on net for nyonya pineapple tarts like this. Am interested to learn how u make the shape of the pastry. Do u use special mould for it?

chinnee
decuisine.net
demoments.net

Unknown said...

chinnee

yes, a mould is used to cut the tarts

Anonymous said...

hi Lily,

I would like to try your recipe for the pineapple filling, but I realized your method uses a microwave oven, which I don't have. Do you have any other alternative way of cooking the filling?

thanks!

Unknown said...

jen

use a wok over the stovetop and cook until the filling is dried and caramel.

Anonymous said...

Hi Aunty,

I would like to know how long do we have to cook the jam if using wok over stovetop. I cooked mine like this - put the sugar together with the grated pineapple in a pot and cook. After an hour or so, seeing that it's quite dry, I off the flame. But to my dismay, after cooling, there's juice in it again. So I cooked it again then sieved out some of the juice. Will my jam be mouldy later?

Unknown said...

delia

time is hard to tell as for a start, how wet was the pineapple pulp? i like to drain the pureed pineapple in a large sieve and let it drain, then with less liquid, the cookng time will be less.

yes, tarts will turn mouldy

Anonymous said...

Aunty,
after grating the pineapple i sieved out more than half of the juice and let the rest cook with the pulp. my friend told me that if the jam is sweet then it might not be mouldy.

Anonymous said...

I have a qns here. Why should we use margarine if there is alrdy butter?

Unknown said...

delia

the sugar has to be cooked until a soft ball condition then the filling will not turn mouldy

Unknown said...

jane

margarine has less moisture content and will make the pastry shorter. Butter gives a very good favor which to the pastry. you could use 100% butter if you wish

Anonymous said...

hi,

is there any reason why my pineapple tarts will turn mouldy in less than 1 week?

which step did i get wrong?

Unknown said...

chloe

i cook my pineapple filling until very caramelized and thick. i think that you have not cooked the filling long enough

baby sayang said...

I bought some pineapple tart molds during my last trip in Malaysia. I have a question as to the thickness of the tart pastry. I have trouble rolling the pastry to an even thickness. How do you know whether the thickness is right and even? I've resorted to using chopsticks as a guide but it comes out a little too thick.
Any suggestions?

Unknown said...

yenpeng

using the chopsticks is a good idea to get the pastry level, then reroll the dough again, slightly thinner and see if you like the thickness. i use the rolling pin guards and like to roll out small pieces of dough instead of a huge piece.

baby sayang said...

Where can I find rolling pin guards? Does it allow you to adjust the height of the pastry that you are rolling out? The only kitchenware store in my area in Bed Bath and Beyond.

Unknown said...

yenpeng

i don't see them in bbb, perhaps you can get them online

the guards are 1/2 inch and downwards

baby sayang said...

Thanks for your suggestion on the pin guards.
I need advice on another matter involving the pastry. I have a tendency to make my pastries a little healthier. Usually this would mean using replacing some percentage of the flour with wholewheat flour. Because of this substitution, I realised that the pastry comes out a bit dry and crumbly. Rolling the pastry becomes a bit difficult as well.
Any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?
Thanks.

Unknown said...

yenpeng

there are only 3 ingredients that can make the dough more pliable.

butter/shortening/margarine/oil - they will make the pastry shorter

egg yolk/egg white/whole egg - makes the pastry richer and crispier

water - needed to create gluten so the the dough can be rolled easily but will toughen the pastry if you worked the dough too much, that is why i suggest to use a tiny piece of dough for rolling.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,,

I soooo much love to make your tarts and pineapple roll..but I cant find any cinnamon barks, cloves and star anise in our market..is there any substitute for these? or Can i just not use these ingredients for making the jam?

pls answer..thanks..:)

Unknown said...

enu

all those spices can be omitted, they are there to give an asian twist to pineapple jam

Anonymous said...

hi!
i heard that with more sugar added to the pineapple, the tarts can be kept for a longer period. is that true?

Unknown said...

ant

yes, sugar acts as a preservative but it is not neccessary to be more. to prevent spoilage, the filling has to be cooked until all moisture has evaporated and the sugar has caramelized.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
I just made the pineapple filling and is now left to cool. I cooked it for a total of 1 hour 2 mins in the microwave. However as it cools and thickens, a layer of liquid will form. Im not sure if I need to repeat cooking it? I cant seem to gauge how thick the jam must be.
Also, I decided to go slow on the sugar and only used the ratio of 1cup pulp: half cup sugar. It s already sweet to my liking. Will this pose a problem when it comes to caramelizing the filling? Sorry for bothering you with all these qs!

Unknown said...

aleena

cooking time in microwave depends on the amount of filling you are cooking. I should think that there is not enough of sugar caramelization to hold the pineapple pulp. I have never used less sugar before as i find that the ratio 1 : 1 is not that sweet.

Try cooking over the stovetop and see if evaporation is greater.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
Thank you for your suggestion. I believe my pulp was too wet to begin with (I should drain it first the next time) and the evaporation was better on stovetop.
Could you tell me why my dough has cracks in them when rolled and makes rolling fairly cumbersome. I dont know which ingredient I should add or reduce.

TQ once again!

Unknown said...

aleena

you should have added in more water to make a pliable dough.

GPS said...

Regarding Pineapple tart last week i go to Pan Heong Restoran Batu Caves i buy a pack Pineapple tart oh so good taste Original Taste The Pineaple Jam Is In Side the Biskut very special and really good

Unknown said...

vinlee

you should have commented earlier, then i could get my friend to get me a pack for tasting.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily

Sori Lily, I have problem in getting my query over to you because not very familiar with this format. I have sent 2 comment over but still not published. This is my 3rd attempt, hope it get thru this time. I would like to ask if I can use a fruit extractor that separate the juice and pulp for the pineapple. Will it be too fine for making the filling. The canned pineapple in in cubes or ring form, am I right? I have bought 2 can and hope to use it. I am trying to clear my self rasing flour, wonder hope should make use of it. Will it affect the texture of cookie. .

Maybe you could also let me know to msg you. Any email? Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards
Ivy

Unknown said...

ivy

my email address is lilyng_2000@yahoo.com - would try to hlep if you have any questions.

for the pineapple filling, the pulp of the pineapple is needed = all you have to do is to process or blend to liquify, then pour mixture out onto a large sieve and let the juice drain - it does not have to be very dry, a little juice will give more flavor to the filling.

self rising/raising flour is fine just omit the baking powder called for in the recipe

R said...

Hi Lily,

How long do these cookies keep? And how far ahead can I make the dough and the filling before actually assembling and baking the cookies?

Thank you!

- Rowena

Unknown said...

rowena

if properly prepared the tarts can be kept for quite awhile like any other cookies.

the pineapple jam can be prepared and kept in the fridge and again it has to be thoroughly cooked and caramelized,

the dough can be kept in the fridge overnight but it has to be properly wrapped to prevent drying out.

R said...

Thank you so much! I shall give these a whirl :)

- Rowena

Princess Patricia said...

Hi Lily,

I just did the fillings over the stove. I wonder if I've cooked it too dry. I'm cooling it now. I noticed that some of the remains in my pot has turned rock hard. Maybe due to cameralizing? Can you advise if its too dry or too much sugar / or anything else? Its in my refrigerator nor waiting for cooling. I'm afraid I can't shape them tomorrow.

Thanks!

Pat

Unknown said...

pat

if you think that the jam has been overcooked, you can always add water and cook it down to the right consistency. i would suggest, to undercook otherwise the jam is too chewy after baking but again if too undercooked, the cookie will turn mouldy fast.

Matty said...

Thanks for sending the cookies to DC for us, we loved them.

Unknown said...

matty

you are most welcome. Hope you like them

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily, I made these instead of my usual shortbread over the festive season - cut into star shapes and spread the jam on top. Your pastry recipe for this was excellent so crunchy and delicate at the same time and it transported me back to a place where warm breezes blow and the sun is on your face. Your blog is a blessing for all those away from home.

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