Pineapple Tartlets
Pastry case makes a very good mince pie base.
Prep Time 2 hours 22 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time -day
Total Time 3 hours
Equipment
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Determination
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L'ananas
Ingredients
PINEAPPLE JAM
- Biggest pineapple you can find or two smaller guys
- 360g - caster sugar
- 6 - pandan leaves, bruised with the back of a knife and tied together in a knot (or ¼ vanilla pod, sliced in half lengthways and seeds scraped)
- 6 - whole star anise
SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY (YOU WILL ONLY NEED ½ QUANTITY)
- 300g - plain flour
- 90g - icing sugar
- ¼ tsp - salt
- 200g - unsalted butter, fridge-cold, cut into cubes, plus an extra 10g, melted, for brushing
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon or lime (1 tsp)
- 1 - large egg yolk (plus an extra large egg, lightly whisked, to glaze)
- 20ml - cold water
- 18 - whole cloves, for studding the tarts
Lemond Filling Option
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup lemon juice (125ml)
- ⅔ cup water (160ml)
- finely grated zest of 1 large lemon (2-3 teaspoons)
- 3 egg yolks, from large eggs
Instructions
Pastry
- To make the pastry, sift together the flour, icing sugar and salt and place in a food processor. Add the butter and lemon or lime zest and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of fresh breadcrumbs. Lightly whisk together the egg yolk and water and add this to the mix: the dough will feel quite wet, but this is as it should be. Process once more, just until the pastry comes together, then tip on to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Press or pat gently to form a ball, then divide the pastry in two. Wrap each half loosely in cling film and press gently to form two flattish discs. The pastry is very soft so you need to keep it in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
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Brush the moulds of the mince pie or regular muffin tin with melted butter (see Kit Note) and set aside.
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When ready to bake, allow the pastry to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (if it has been in the fridge for more than a few hours) and place on a lightly floured work surface, working with one disc of pastry at a time. Tap all over with a rolling pin to soften slightly before rolling out until 2mm thick. Using a 7cm cookie cutter, stamp out eighteen circles and place one in each greased mould. Re-roll the pastry, if necessary, until you get eighteen circles. Set aside in the fridge to rest. The remaining pastry disc can be frozen for future use.
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Press the pastry offcuts (from the used disc) together and roll into a rough rectangle, about 2mm thick. Cut the pastry into strips, about 6 x 0.5cm: these will form the lattice to decorate the tarts. Transfer to a baking tray and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Pineapple Jam
- To make the jam, place the pineapple in a food processor (in batches) and pulse to form a coarse purée. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl; don’t actually press down on the purée: you just want to strain out the excess juice rather than extract any more from the pineapple flesh. The strained juice (about 250ml) can be used to make ice lollies or as a refreshing drink over ice.
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Place the pineapple purée in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, pandan leaves (or vanilla pod and scraped seeds) and star anise. Place over a medium-low heat and stir just until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium, bring to a boil and cook for about 1 hour, stirring with a wooden spoon every 5 or 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Take care as it may splutter and spit, and keep a close eye on it as it thickens: you might need to lower the heat halfway through the cooking time and stir more frequently, to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan. You want to take it further than regular jam: it will be ready when it is a thick golden paste and holds its shape when spooned on to a plate. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan for half an hour before transferring to a bowl (or an airtight container, if making in advance to store in the fridge). Set aside until completely cool before removing the pandan leaves (or vanilla pod) and star anise. Keep in the fridge until ready to assemble the tartlets.
Lemon Curd Filling
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Combine sugar, cornflour and salt in a saucepan, then pour in the lemon juice and water. Whisk well to combine. Cook, whisking regularly so you don’t get lumps, until you have a thick gel with big bubbles popping all over the surface.
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Take it off the heat and add butter and zest, mix until melted and fully combined.
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While whisking vigorously, tip in the yolks and whisk well until fully combined – this is important so the yolks don’t scramble in the hot gel.
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Place the saucepan back over the heat and cook for a further minute whisking frequently. Divide the curd evenly among the cases – each should be full pretty much to the top. Bake a further 5-8 minutes until the curd is level and just starting to bubble.
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Let them cool 15 minutes in the muffin tin, then gently give each one a twist and lift it out. Finish cooling on a wire rack. They can be eaten at room temperature or cold.
Baking
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To bake the tarts, preheat the oven to 200 °C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the pineapple jam – about 30g – into each pastry case (don’t think you’ve missed a step here: the cases are not blind-baked) and level the surface with the back of a teaspoon. If the kitchen is warm and the pastry is softening, return the trays to the fridge for a few minutes. Place the strips of pastry on top of the tarts to form a lattice shape (the easiest way to do this is to first lay two or three strips parallel to each other and then lay another two or three on top) or any other pattern. Trim the ends with a paring knife to fit and press the ends into the edge of the pastry.
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Brush the beaten egg over the pastry top, push a whole clove into the centre of each tartlet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the cloves before eating!