Pineapple Tarts

Here’s another version of pineapple tarts, using pretty pineapple tart mold to shape. You can easily purchase the mould from online shops in different sizes. Let’s begin!

Ingredients for pastry

150g butter
100g margarine (may use all butter)
50g icing sugar
1 egg yolk + equal amount of white
(Use 2 yolks if you like really melting pastry)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
350g plain flour
40g cornflour

To make the pastry:

Cream butter, margarine and sugar.
Beat in egg yolk/white mixture.
Add vanilla and salt; continue to beat until incorporated.
Fold in sifted dry ingredients and mix to a firm dough. Remove about 50g dough and mix in some matcha powder for the leaves. My pineapple tart mould is for 25g tart. Therefore, weigh out 12g of plain dough and 3g of matcha dough and roll them into balls.

To shape:

Using plain dough, wrap the pineapple paste and roll neatly into balls. Then put a matcha ball into the leaf part of mould and then place the pineapple wrapped ball on top. Press down the handle of mould few times before lifting up the mould to release the pineapple shaped tart. Repeat till all is done.

Place the pineapple tarts on a greased/lined tray. Apply egg glaze on the yellow part before baking in preheated oven at 150ºC for 30 minutes or till golden. Cool completely on wire rack before storing.

Egg Glaze

1 egg yolk
1 tsp water/milk

To make egg glaze, lightly beat the above glaze ingredients together.

Pineapple paste

300g grated pineapple
150g castor sugar (adjust to your preference)
One small piece of cinnamon stick

To make the pineapple paste:

Peel and remove the eyes of pineapples.
Chop into small pieces and put into a big saucepan or wok with medium heat on.
Let the pineapple cook till juice is nearly dried; stirring every now and then.
When the juice has been reduced, off fire and allow to cool slightly.
Blend the pineapple and then continue to cook with cinnamon stick, stirring continuously to prevent splatter.
When it’s almost dried but still moist, add sugar according to taste. Keep stirring till it becomes a paste. For enclosed tarts, cook it dryer. Do not add sugar too early else paste will be dark.
Best to chill overnight to firm up the paste before rolling into 10g balls.

Sourdough Crackers

These crackers are made from sourdough discards straight from fridge. Great way to use those accumulated discards! No wastage and it’s delicious! You may add any flavour of your choice be it savoury or sweet. Example poppy seeds, sesame seeds, shredded cheese or sliced almond with cocoa powder.

Sourdough Crackers
(Adapted by Enne Ty)

Ingredients

• 180g sourdough discards (from fridge)
• 28g butter (melted)
• 1g fine sea salt
• 1.5tsp dried mixed herbs
• Extra sea salt for sprinkling (sparingly!)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160 degree Celcius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
• Weigh out the sourdough discard, dried herbs and salt into a bowl and pour in cooled melted butter. Give it a thorough mix with a spatula to combine.
• Pour the batter into the lined pan and use an off-set spatula to spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle some salt sparingly the top.
• Bake for about 30-40mins or until the crackers are golden brown. Please check the crackers after 20 minutes into baking. Let cool completely before breaking into smaller bite size shards. 

Pineapple Rolls/tarts

Most sought after delicacy during Chinese New Year or any festive season in Asia! Made from scratch from the pineapple paste down to the pastry. Melt in mouth buttery pastry with tangy sweet pineapple paste, what’s not to love?

Pineapple Rolls/Tarts

Ingredients for pastry 

150g butter
100g margarine (may use all butter)
50g icing sugar
1 egg yolk + equal amount of white
(Use 2 yolks if you like really melting pastry)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
350g plain flour
40g cornflour

To make the pastry: 

1. Cream butter, margarine and sugar. 
2. Beat in egg yolk/white mixture. 
3. Add vanilla and salt; continue to beat until incorporated. 
4. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and mix to a firm dough. 
5. Put dough into a nastar mould and press out strips of 6cm to 7cm long.
6. Place a piece of pre-rolled pineapple paste (cylinder shaped) on the edge of a strip and carefully roll up.  Cut off excess dough. 
7. Place the pineapple rolls on a greased/lined tray. Bake in preheated oven at 150ºC for 20 minutes.  Remove the tray from oven and allow rolls to cool before applying egg glaze.
8. Continue to bake for 10mins till golden and cool completely on wire rack before storing.

Glaze:

1 egg yolk
1 tsp oil 

To make egg glaze, lightly beat the above glaze ingredients together.

Pineapple paste:

300g grated pineapple
150g castor sugar (adjust to your preference)
One small piece of cinnamon stick

To make the pineapple paste: 

1. Peel and remove the eyes of pineapples. 
2. Chop into small pieces and put into a big saucepan or wok with medium heat on.  
3. Let the pineapple cook till juice is nearly dried; stirring every now and then.  
4. When the juice has been reduced, off fire and allow to cool till warm. 
5. Blend the pineapple and then continue to cook with cinnamon stick, stirring continuously to prevent splatter.  
6. When it’s almost dried but still moist, add sugar according to taste.  Keep stirring till it becomes a paste. For enclosed tarts, cook it dryer.  Do not add sugar too early else paste will be dark.
7. Best to chill overnight to firm up the paste before rolling into 8g cylinders.

Cheese Tarts

Anything with cheese must be delicious…to cheese lovers of course! These shells stay crunchy stored in fridge even after 3-4 days! You can add any fruits, jam, chocolate or anything you fancy into the filling or as decoration on top. Of course making the tart shells from scratch is the most tedious but you may use store bought ones if you wish. I made a batch of the shells ahead.

Cheese Tarts
Adapted by Enne Ty 

Crust / shell
(makes about 34 2-inch shells)

160g Butter soften but still cool
40g  Castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
30g egg
250g AP flour
40g almond flour

Method

1. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla essence together with an electric mixer till smooth and light.
2. Add in the egg, mix.
3. Add in flour and mix till it becomes a dough. Switch to spatula or your hand to bring the dough together.
4. Pinch out some dough and press it into the tart mould. Poke some holes at the base with a fork to prevent it puffing up during baking.
5. Bake 170℃ for 20minutes.

The filling

(250g cheese is sufficient to fill 17 2-inch shells till puffy)

250g cream cheese – room temperature
15g butter
50g icing sugar, sifted
30g egg, lightly beaten
10g whipping cream, optional
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

Making the cheese filling

1. Place cream cheese, butter and icing sugar in a bowl and with an electric mixer, beat till smooth.
2. Add in the egg bit by bit.
3. Continue beating for a while till all the eggs are incorporated. If the batter is too heavy, gently fold in whipped cream. Do not over beat less mixture will be too runny to pipe into shells.

Assemble the tarts 

1. Preheat oven to 170℃ and arrange shells on a tray.
2. Place in additional flavour like chocolate, blueberry, Nutella or anything you fancy.
3. Transfer cream cheese into piping bag. Cut a hole at the end of the bag . Make sure the size of the hole is the same  circumference as the shell.  Hold the bag vertictally at 90 degree and squeeze the cheese into the shell.

Bake at 170℃ 10 to 15minutes. It is done when the cheese does not stick to your finger when you touch it. Consume warm for “lava” effect or chilled.