CNY here

cny here is abit bore, i guess so nt much chinese in this state to reali get into the festival mood. I miss singapore, my family n friends.

pineapple tarts(my love, all time fav specially during cny). it has a homely aroma, i like the mouth melting milky crust best!! so now here is my first-hand long overdue attempt in making my own pineapple tarts.

recipe
To make the jam, you can either use canned pineapples /fresh ones. Of course fresh pineapples taste better. As for tarts can be made in many shapes, since i dun have a pastry cutter on hand, i just chose to make a simpler easier verison of it.

Pastry:
500g flour, l/2tsp salt
250g butter /margarine
2 tbsp caster sugar /icing sugar
2 egg yolks, 1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs cold water
Jam:
2 medium sized grated pineapple(use a food processor).
350g sugar, 1 tsp salt
1 large cinnamon stick and 1 star anise

Method:
To make jam:
Grate /process the pineapples finely, drain the liquid using a sieve. The juice can be added with a little sugar n ice cubes for a refreshing pineapple drink.
Mix the pulp with a little bit of salt, sugar and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan.
Simmer slowly until thicken, stir frequently to avoid burning. Jam is ready when the mixture is bubbling in the saucepan. ensure the jam is nt too thick cos it will be difficult to place thick jam on the tart later.

To make pastry:
Sieve flour, salt n sugar into a mixing bowl. Rub in margarine /butter n add cold egg yolks, vanilla essence to form a dough. Add 2-3 tbsp of cold water to bind the pastry to a ball.
Keep the pastry to sit for about half an hour in fridge.
Roll pastry into the shapes u want. To avoid the dough from sticking to the mat /cutter, use a little flour to coat the cutter. the rolling pin and the rolling sheet. However, not too much because it will offset the dough flour-fat composition that your pastry would become tough instead of crumbly and melt in the mouth. You may brush the surface of the tart with egg yolk if you wish.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10-15 mins /till lightly brown.

my first attempt failed, turn out the taste soso. so my supporter hubby is goin to finish it up, n i was so disappointed n lazy to make another attempt, totally give up.
next im doin curry puff/ tuna puffs (hope it succeeds).