Pineapple Tarts Recipe 445

Steps:

• For filling: Drain crushed pineapple in a colander, pressing to render as much of the juice as possible. Place pineapple in a large pot with granulated sugar and cinnamon sticks and stir over medium-low heat about 1 hour, until sugar begins crystallizing against the sides of the pan. Remove cinnamon sticks and let pineapple filling cool.
• For pastry: Using a mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar at medium-high speed. Add 2 eggs, baking soda and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour and salt until mixed well and dough begins to form ball. Refrigerate dough for 30 to 60 minutes before assembling tarts.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Lightly spray 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
• Mix yolk and water together to make a wash.
• Press 1-inch ball round of dough into mini-muffin tin and fill with pineapple. Take remaining dough and roll thin, cutting narrow strips, less than 1/8 inch wide. Use strips to create a double lattice top over each tart. Brush with egg wash and bake 25 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all-purpose, self-rising flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour in 1 beaten egg and water. Bind the ingredients together gently. Do not knead too much. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut 24 rounds, using a 2 inch round fluted cutter. Place on cookie sheet. Put a spoonful of pineapple jam in the center of each piece. Decorate with criss-cross strips of pastry over jam, extending slightly onto pastry shell.
• Cut 24 more 2 inch rounds, then, using a smaller cutter, cut out the centers, creating a ring shape. Moisten the edges of each pastry, and place the rings on top of each pastry shell. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Filling.
• To make the jam, grate the pineapple coarsely.
• Combine the grated pineapple with the rest of the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is almost dry.
• Set aside to cool.
• Pastry dough.
• Put sifted flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Beat in the egg yolk and add ice-cold water and essence.
• Mix well to form a dough.
• Place in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Roll pastry out to 0.5 cm thickness on a lightly-floured tabletop and cut out rounds with a pie cutter.
• Fill each piece of cut-out pastry with pineapple jam filling.
• Pinch a small neat frill aroud the edging.
• Cut thin strips of pastry to form a lattice on top of each pie.
• Glaze the strips with beaten egg.
• Place tarts on a greased baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.
• Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden.
• Turn tarts out to cool on a wire rack before storing in air-tight containers.