Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts (鳳梨酥) are treasured as a festive dessert in Taiwan. It is commonly exchanged around Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn Festival, and for visiting family and friends. Pineapple tarts consists of a sweet jam filling enclosed within a rectangular butter pastry. There are other variations of jam fillings apart from the traditional pineapple flavour, such as honeydew melon, taro, lotus, and seaweed. Sometimes, salted egg yolk is added to enrich the flavour and this creates a beautiful balance between sweet and salty.

Whenever I take a bite into one of these sweet delicacies, a sense of happiness warms me and reminds me of home. The crisp buttery pastry melts in your mouth and the soft pineapple jam filling satisfies anyone with a sweet tooth.


Some family friends came for a visit from Taiwan recently and bought us a box of pineapple tarts. As always, it came in a neat little box with each pineapple tart individually wrapped in eye-catching packaging. I was inspired to make my own once again, and this particular recipe was taught to me by a family friend and well known pastry chef in Taipei.

Ingredients:

• 300g pineapple filling
• 60g salted duck egg yolk (use 3-4 salted duck egg)
• 160g unsalted butter
• 65g icing sugar 
• 70g egg
• 35g fresh whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10g milk powder
• 230g low grade flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Part A: 

1. Remove the shell of salted duck eggs and cut in half. 
2. Scrape out the egg yolk, mash and take out any excess lumps.
3. Mix with pineapple filling in a plastic bag and refrigerate over night. 
4. Divide into small balls weighing 20g each. 

Part B:

1. Mix the butter with icing sugar until light and creamy, be careful not to over mix. The texture should be slightly fluffy with a hint of yellow colouring.
2. Add the eggs slowly into the mixture and beat well. 
3. Carefully pour in the whipping cream into the pastry batter and add a pinch of salt. Mix with a wooden spoon using big actions. 
4. Sift the flour, milk powder and baking powder into the batter. Knead until soft and has a cookie dough texture. 

Part C: 

1. Cut the pastry dough into 30g pieces, mould into small balls. 
2. Flatten the dough into discs, put in a piece of pineapple filling on the disc and mould the edges around the filling until fully enclosed in a sphere. 
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place each piece into an individual rectangular shaped tins. Press down to form the rectangular shape. 
4. Bake in the oven at 180c for 30 minutes. Place a sheet of baking paper on top so the pineapple tarts won't get burnt. 
5. When the top of the pastry looks slightly golden, switch the baking tray around and turn over each tart onto the other side. This ensures both sides of the baking tray and pineapple tarts are evenly baked. 

Great as gifts! Wrap them individually in cellophane or  together in a box. :) 

Note:

* Rectangular moulds are 5cm x 3cm x 2cm (length x width x height), they do not have a top and bottom. 

* Prepare the pineapple filling a day before making the actual tarts.
* Pineapple filling can be bought in Asian supermarkets or made from scratch.