I have been baking Pineapple Tarts for Chinese New Year for more than 10 years now. I have been experimenting various recipes for as long as I can remember, until I found one that is closest to my heart – and with some modification to make it healthier, it is my best ever pineapple tarts recipe that I am sharing below. Ever since, I have been using below healthier version for my family so that we can continue to feast on our favorite tarts. The taste is not sweet at all, pastry is slightly salty (but still melt in your mouth) and the pineapple filling is sour-lish-sweet. This is perfect for me trying to watch my weight and makes me feel less guilt-free.
I still remember when I baked it a few days ago, my tarts (shown above) were gone within an hour after it left the oven. My family gobbled down everything leaving a clean plate….
For the pineapple filling, in the past, I used to make my own pineapple paste. I basically grate the entire pineapple (both the meat and the core) by hand using a grater. I will cook the paste under medium-low heat and add in sugar in batches until I get the sweetness that I like. I add in lemon juice as my mother told me that the lemon juice will help to preserve the pineapple paste longer. I will slowly cooked until all the liquid dried up and the paste is thick and sticky. But this is really hard work. (Please see recipe below).
As I am very busy taking care of my young toddler these days, I do not have the luxury of time. I bought the AAA 1 Kg Pineapple Paste from Phoon Huat instead. This pineapple paste used both the pineapple meat and the core, the taste is towards sour-sweet. It is the least sweet of all the pineapple paste that I have come across so far. This pineapple paste filling can roughly do 2 batches of pineapple pastry below.
To make the pineapple tart pastry, first I sieved the flours, salt and icing sugar. Then I add in cold-butter to the flours mixture but cutting into smaller pieces, then using fingertips to rub the butter into fine crumbs.
Then I prepared the egg yoke mixture. I mixed the egg yokes and ice-cold water together, then lightly beat it. Then I slowly add the egg yoke mixture to the butter-flour mixture.
I used my fingertips (that is coolest part of the hand) to combine and slowly blend into one dough ball. Then cover the dough with clingwrap and put into fridge (the lower compartment, not the chilling compartment) to let it rest for 15-20 mins. This will make the dough harder and easier to roll later.
Next, I rolled out the pineapple paste balls from the pre-packed AAA Pineapple Paste filling. Just make sure the size are roughly similar (or you can use the weighing machine to be consistent). The size of the balls really depends on your preference.
Pre-heat your oven to 175 O C. For the baking tray, use butter to grease the tray before use. Once the dough has rested enough, take out from fridge to roll. On the rolling mat, sprinkle some flour so that your pastry does not stick to the mat. As you roll out the dough, the heat from your hand will melt the dough and makes it cling to the rolling mat (if you have not sprinkle the flour earlier). For the thickness of the pastry, it is really your preference. Using the cookie cutter, ensure the shape of each cookie is clearly visible. If the shape is not visible, re-use the dough and do again. Place the pineapple tart shells onto the baking tray. Glaze the top of the shell with the egg yoke glaze.
Put into the oven to bake for 5 mins. Take out, glaze the tart shell with another layer of egg yoke glaze, add the Pineapple ball on top of the tart shell. Put back into the oven to bake for another 20 mins or when the pastry turn golden brown.
Hey, there you have it! Happy New Year to all! Hope you will enjoy this delicacy!
My Pineapple Tart Recipe:
Ingredients (to make Pineapple Paste)
2 whole ripe pineapples (peel off the outer skin)
150 gm castor sugar (adjust according to your taste later)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method to make Pineapple Paste:
- Grate the pineapples (both the meat and the core stem) into fine long strands. (Alternatively you can cut the pineapples into smaller pieces, put into blender to blend, add half cup of water and start blending).
- Put the grated pineapples into the pan over medium heat to cook. Add in any pineapple juice that you have collected during the grating.
- As the liquid boils, add in the lemon juice and stir. For the sugar, add in gradually and stir as you add. Start tasting the pineapple paste at each stop, stop adding when you feel is sweet enough. You can add more sugar if you want a sweeter taste. The pineapple paste will slowly turned dark yellow as you cook.
- Turn to low heat and continues to let the pineapple liquid slowly dries up. Stir once a while. Once the paste turns thick and sticky, off the heat and let it cool down completely.
Note: If you use very ripe pineapples, pineapples itself contains sugar. It is preferred to make use of the natural sugar from the fruit and use less of castor sugar for a healthier choice.
Pineapple Paste Filling (Alternative)
1 Kg AAA Pineapple Paste Filling (Phoon Huat)
Ingredients for Tart Pastry
(Source: modified from Annielicious recipe)
370 gm plain flour
30 gm corn flour
1/2 tsp salt
250 gm cold butter (unsalted)
5 small cold egg yokes (or 3 medium size egg yokes), lightly beaten
3 tbsp ice-cold water
2 1/2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
(for egg yoke glaze, 1 small egg yoke plus 1/2 tbsp ice-cold water)
Pastry Method
- Sieve the plain flour, corn flour together. Add in salt and icing sugar. Mixed well.
- Take out the cold butter, and cut into small pieces into the flours mixture. For the smaller butter pieces, use the tip of your finger to rub into smaller crumbs. Do this until all the butter becomes small crumbs in the flours mixture.
- Beat the egg yokes (cold), ice-cold water and vanilla extract lightly. Add this egg yoke mixture into the butter-flour mixture in batches. As you gradually add the egg yoke mixture, use your fingertips to try to blend the butter-flour crumbs with the egg yoke mixture until one or two big dough balls are form. Do not over knead the dough. Stop kneading once the dough balls come together. In the event you have used up the egg yoke mixture and dough is still not form, separately use one more egg yoke with 1/2 tbsp ice-cold water, lightly beat together, then slowly add to the dough mixture.
- Cover the dough with clingwrap and put into the fridge for 10-20 mins to rest.
Baking Method
- Pre-heat oven to 175 O C.
- Grease the baking tray with butter.
- Take out the cold dough from the fridge. Spray some flour on the placement mat before rolling. Roll to your desired thickness, use cookie cutter to cut out the dough. Then place the tart shell on the baking tray. Leave some space in between the cut dough.
- Use the egg yoke glaze to brush the top of the tart shells.
- Put into the oven and bake for 5 mins.
- Then take out the tart shells from the oven, use the egg glaze and brush the top of the shell a second time, and place a round pineapple ball in the middle of each shell.
- Put it back into the oven and baked for another 15 – 20 mins (or when the tarts turn golden brown).
- When completely cooled down, keep in an air-tight cookie jar.