A classic must-have for Christmas and other celebrations in our Asian communities. There are so many types of pineapple tarts - some with the jam hidden inside a casing of flaky dough, Then there is the tube - soft pastry dough that is piped and chilled and then the jam is rolled up in it. Nowadays people are making pineapple tarts look like little pineapples. This takes a bit of work.
Some people like a lot of jam but I don't and I like the pastry to not be sweet but slightly salty. It goes well to balance the sweetness of the jam. This pastry recipe is a pate sucree (sweet dough) but if its just for myself, I use a shortbread pastry and put less sugar.
125 g/ 4 oz butter,Chilled a little and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons fine caster sugar
3 egg yolks
250 g/8 oz plain flour
quarter level teaspoon fine grain salt
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 packet ready-made pineapple jam filling
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles crumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and cornflour. Mix. Then make a well in the centre and add in the beaten egg yolks. Mix, kneading just a little until the ingredients combine into a soft dough. Wrap and Chill for 25 minutes. Knead a little to a pliable dough and use.
Doing it by hand:
Pluck a piece of dough the size of a 20 cent coin piece and shape into a round ball. Make a depression with thumb in the middle. Get the pinching tool and pinch the edges. Place on a lightly greased tray or oven proof plate. Next step is to fill it with pineapple jam. Roll a small amount of jam in-between fingers and thumb and fill the tarts. Some people like more jam and some like less. Then top the jam with small dots of dough.
Rolling the pastry and using tart cookie cutters:
You have to chill the dough for 30 minutes so it becomes firm. Take it out of fridge and roll on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thickness. Use the tart cookie cutters to cut out imprints of tarts. Place on the tray or plate. Top with jam and tiny dots of dough on top of the jam.
When the butter in the dough gets softened, return it to the fridge to chill again. Do not add too much flour while rolling or the pastry will be hard. Work with small batches of dough at a time.
Brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash ( 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of milk or water.)
Bake the tarts in a hot 180 C/360 F/ Gas mark 4 for
18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack and then store in an air-tight container.
Note: Bigger tarts will need a longer cooking time.
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