Pineapple Tarts
Pineapple tarts are small pieces of buttery shortcrust pastry that are filled with pineapple jam. The jam is tangy and fruity. The pastry is buttery and melt-in-the-mouth tender.
In Singapore, pineapple tarts are a must-have during Chinese New Year. They’re wickedly delicious, and they’re supposed to bring good luck.
Making good pineapple jam is quite straightforward. It’s basically mashed pineapple cooked with sugar till thick, and flavoured with star anise, cinnamon and sometimes cloves.
Some people drain the juice from the pineapple and make jam without the juice. That saves time but sacrifices flavour. Your jam would be less fruity if you drain the juice.
Some people throw away the woody core of the pineapple. That’s not necessary because the core contains pulp, without which there’d no jam. But you must process it till it’s totally smooth. Unlike the juicy part, it doesn’t break down when heated so it must be very finely ground.
What type of pineapple should you use? Not the fancy, expensive ones that are extra juicy and extra sweet. You want cheap and cheerful pineapples that are fibrous, pulpy and rather sour. In fact, the pineapples should be no more than half-ripe so that the acidity can balance the sugar added to the jam.
A wok is essential for making pineapple jam, because it allows the juice to evaporate quickly. Combined with the maximum heat possible on the stove, the cooking takes about 45 minutes. That’s not too bad, is it? And you have to stir constantly only during the last 10 minutes or so, after the pineapple turns light brown. Really not too bad at all, I’d say.
The jam filling for pineapple tarts should be stiff but not too stiff or it’d too hard, too chewy, and too sticky.
With closed tarts, what you see when the jam is cool is pretty much what you’ll get after baking.
With open tarts, OTOH, the exposed filling dries up in the oven. It might be just right after it’s baked, or maybe not. That’s why open tarts are more difficult to make than closed ones.
The pastry recipe I’m sharing makes a very tender, melt-in-the mouth crust. The butter is not rubbed in, not creamed, not melted, but boiled. Flour is tipped into boiling butter, then mixed thoroughly. This makes a dough that has no gluten because the protein in the flour is totally coated with fat, not water. Without gluten, the baked pastry is melt-in-the-mouth tender even without eggs. And it’s very buttery because there’re no eggs to mask the taste of the butter.
Pastry and jam are equally important in pineapple tarts. You’ll have great pineapple tarts only if both components are done right.
Pineapple Tarts
Video
Ingredients
Filling (makes about 850 g)
- 2 pineapples about 1.2 kg each, underripe, rather sour, fibrous, pulpy, not too juicy
- 1 star anise
- 5 cm cinnamon stick split lengthwise
- 500 g sugar
Pastry
- 360 g unsalted butter
- 60 ml corn oil
- 75 ml water
- 60 g sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 600 g plain flour
- 1 egg yolk beaten
- 90 cloves
Instructions
Filling
- Peel pineapples and remove eyes to yield about 1.3 kg. Rinse and drain thoroughly. Chop and blend woody cores till totally smooth, and juicy part till roughly minced.2 pineapples
- Put pineapples, star anise, and cinnamon stick in a non-reactive wok. Cook over maximum heat till almost dry, 10-15 minutes. Add sugar and stir till melted. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time, till light brown and starting to thicken, about 20 minutes.1 star anise, 5 cm cinnamon stick, 500 g sugar
- Lower heat from maximum to high. Cook till medium brown and just thick enough to hold its shape, another 10 minutes or so, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Turn off heat.
- Refrigerate 1 tbsp filling till slightly cool to touch. Press to check consistency. If too soft, cook another few more minutes. If too hard or too sticky, add 1-2 tbsp water and mix evenly. You should have about 850 g.
- When filling is cool, roll into little balls weighing 9-10 g each. You should have 90 pieces. Leave pineapple balls in freezer till firm, 30 minutes or longer.
Pastry
- Put butter, corn oil, water, sugar and salt in a pot. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Continue boiling till foam subsides and colour darkens. Alternatively, weigh pot and contents before heating, then boil till weight is reduced by about 65 g.360 g unsalted butter, 60 ml corn oil, 75 ml water, 60 g sugar, ½ tsp salt
- Turn off heat. Tip flour into pot. Mix thoroughly and leave till just cool enough to handle. Knead to make sure mixing is even, adjusting with 1-2 tbsp water if mixture is crumbly, or 1-2 tsp plain flour if sticky. Divide into little balls weighing 11-12 g each. You should have 90 pieces.600 g plain flour
Assemble + bake
- To assemble, remove pineapple balls from freezer in batches so that they stay firm and easy to handle. Flatten ball of dough with palm. Place filling in middle of dough. Seal and roll as shown in video.
- To bake, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Place tarts on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush thoroughly with egg yolk. Garnish with cloves. Bake till golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Don't overbake or filling would be hard and too chewy.1 egg yolk, 90 cloves
- Remove tray from oven. Wait till tarts are firm enough to handle, 5-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. When cool, store in airtight containers. Refrigerate if keeping for more than a few days.
- Serve at room temperature, discarding cloves before eating. Tarts are best when filling and pastry have had a few hours to firm up after baking.