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Pineapple Tarts

Servings: Makes approximately 3 dozen
Comments:
The Chinese love to pun and so when Chinese New Year comes, the food we serve are punned to our hearts' content to reflect prosperity, health and happiness.

The word "pineapple" sounds like "luck comes", so you'll be OK if you serve pineapple anything. This recipe is a favourite, it looks almost too good to eat. If you have to do the pineapple jam yourself, it could be a bit tideous, but you will be rewarded by the compliments that are bound to come your way.

Ingredients:
In Malaysia, you can buy this pineapple jam from cake specialist shops. If you can find such jam in your country, it would save you a lot of work.

Pineapple Filling:
2 medium sized pineapples (skinned and coarsely grated)
200g (3/4 cup) caster (granulated) sugar
Small piece of cinnamon stick
2 cloves* (see note below)
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Shortcrust Pastry:
500g (about 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp. icing (confectioners') sugar
1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz./227gm) unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 egg white
2-3 tsp. ice-cold water

Glaze:
1 egg, slightly beaten

Garnish:
Whole Cloves (optional)

Instructions:
The Pineapple Filling:
(To be made at least a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator)

Combine all filling ingredients in a heavy-base saucepan and cook over moderate heat until the mixture becomes almost dry and sticky. You will only need to stir occasionally at the beginning, but stirring will become more vigorous towards the end to prevent burning.

The Shortcrust Pastry:
Sift flour together with salt. Add icing sugar. Rub in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Lightly work in the egg yolks and egg white. Add in ice water a teaspoon at a time until dough is soft but not sticky. Wrap in plastic bag and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F) and grease a few cookie sheets.

Pinch out some dough (grape-size). Roll it into a ball. Then, flatten into a disc. Place a smaller ball of filling into the centre and gather up dough to completely cover the jam.

Press into a slightly elongated shape. Using a small pair of pointed scissors, make several rows of snips to resemble the pineapple thorns.

The Glaze:
Brush all over with beaten egg.

Stick a whole clove at one end (optional).

Place tarts on the cookie sheets and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in air-tight containers, separating each row with grease-proof paper.

*Note: Do NOT consume the cloves. They are for decorative purposes only.

Makes approximately 3 dozen.

Source: Choo Teck Poh
Submitted By: Choo Teck Poh
Date: 13 January 2003