Verdict: Win
I wanted to try this recipe out in hopes of serving it at the Chinese New Year party. Although the consensus was a win, I'm not sure how I feel about these tarts. My biggest problem with them was the difficulty of handling the dough. The dough was very stiff and crumbly, so I couldn't roll them like how they did in the recipe. Instead, I was forced to make little pies/tarts by lining the cupcake tins with the dough and just placing the pineapple on top. Once baked, the dough was really crumbly, and for me, borderline dry. I'm not going to give up, though, because it still was kind of tasty. Next time I'm going to try whipping the butter until it's fluffy, and possibly use more butter or add a touch of ice cold water to the dough.
Pineapple Tarts from Rasa Malaysia
Yield: about 24 tarts
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups (350g) all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter/8 oz./1 cup/225 grams butter (I use Challenge brand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
1 egg yolk (lightly beaten for egg wash)
For the pineapple filling:
2 cans (20 oz can) sliced pineapples
10 tablespoons sugar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon cornstarch or corn flour (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
DIRECTIONS
Drain the pineapple slices and then squeeze the extra water/juice with your hands. Blend the canned pineapples until it’s mushy, about 10 seconds.
Using medium heat, cook the pineapple and sugar until most liquid has evaporated, and the filling turned golden. Stirring constantly using a wooden spoon to avoid burning. Taste, and add more sugar when needed. Add in the cornstarch (corn flour) to thicken the filling. Let it cool in the fridge.
Sieve the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a medium bowl. Soften the butter to room temperature. Add in the egg yolks and the flour. Knead to form the dough.
Divide the dough and pineapple filling each into 24 equal rounds. Flatten the pastry dough with the palms and put the pineapple filling in the middle and use the dough to cover the filling. Use your palms to round it up and then shape it into a roll about 1.5 inch long. Use a fork to make criss-cross patterns on the tart and then brush it with the egg wash.
Preheat the oven for 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.
I wanted to try this recipe out in hopes of serving it at the Chinese New Year party. Although the consensus was a win, I'm not sure how I feel about these tarts. My biggest problem with them was the difficulty of handling the dough. The dough was very stiff and crumbly, so I couldn't roll them like how they did in the recipe. Instead, I was forced to make little pies/tarts by lining the cupcake tins with the dough and just placing the pineapple on top. Once baked, the dough was really crumbly, and for me, borderline dry. I'm not going to give up, though, because it still was kind of tasty. Next time I'm going to try whipping the butter until it's fluffy, and possibly use more butter or add a touch of ice cold water to the dough.
Pineapple Tarts from Rasa Malaysia
Yield: about 24 tarts
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups (350g) all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter/8 oz./1 cup/225 grams butter (I use Challenge brand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
1 egg yolk (lightly beaten for egg wash)
For the pineapple filling:
2 cans (20 oz can) sliced pineapples
10 tablespoons sugar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon cornstarch or corn flour (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
DIRECTIONS
Drain the pineapple slices and then squeeze the extra water/juice with your hands. Blend the canned pineapples until it’s mushy, about 10 seconds.
Using medium heat, cook the pineapple and sugar until most liquid has evaporated, and the filling turned golden. Stirring constantly using a wooden spoon to avoid burning. Taste, and add more sugar when needed. Add in the cornstarch (corn flour) to thicken the filling. Let it cool in the fridge.
Sieve the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a medium bowl. Soften the butter to room temperature. Add in the egg yolks and the flour. Knead to form the dough.
Divide the dough and pineapple filling each into 24 equal rounds. Flatten the pastry dough with the palms and put the pineapple filling in the middle and use the dough to cover the filling. Use your palms to round it up and then shape it into a roll about 1.5 inch long. Use a fork to make criss-cross patterns on the tart and then brush it with the egg wash.
Preheat the oven for 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.