SINGAPORE – As Chinese New Year rolls round, one of the must-have snacks for this festive season is the pineapple tart.

There is no lack of choices this time of the year when it comes to purchasing these tarts, be it open-faced or sphere-shaped ones.

It is time-consuming and laborious, but it may be worth the effort to roll up your sleeves to make your own.

Chef Anup Kumar, culinary manager at cooking school AllSpice Institute, has a recipe for pineapple tart that stands out from store-bought ones.

His open-faced pineapple tarts have a base that is rich with nuttiness and buttery enough to be fragrant but not greasy nor cloying.

The pineapple jam, which he prepares from scratch, is a low-sugar version with a delightfully tart edge from the use of fresh pineapple.

The 38-year-old says: “Pineapple tarts are not a healthy snack, but making your own allows you to control the amount of sugar and use better-quality ingredients to make a healthier version.”

Store-bought ones which are made with palm oil or margarine may be less fragrant and not as tasty as homemade ones made using butter in the dough. 

Tarts made with pineapple filling that is high in sugar content are harder and stickier in texture.

Chef Kumar, who hails from North India, fell in love with pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year in 2011 when he relocated here for work.

He learnt to make the pastry and jam from other chefs, refining his recipe over the years. 

Last year, he spent a year in France, attending a diploma course in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu Paris.

What he learnt there inspired him to add almond flour to plain flour to make the pineapple tart dough, which gives it nuttiness and more fragrance. But almond flour renders a crispier tart base. 

If you prefer your tart base in a softer texture, use cake flour instead of the almond flour and plain flour combination.

Chef Kumar also favours the use of French butter, which has a higher fat content, for making the tart base.  

When preparing the pineapple, remove the eyes and the core before grating or placing in a food processor to blend.

Spices and rum lend deeper aroma and flavour to the pineapple jam. Skip the rum if you want to make an alcohol-free version. 

If you want a more nuanced flavour, chef Kumar suggests adding two orange slices, including the skin, when cooking the jam.

For those making large batches and who want to cut down on the labour, use store-bought pineapple filling, such as Redman’s pineapple paste, to add to your homemade one.

Combine equal amounts of homemade and store-bought filling, he suggests.

Once the tarts are done baking, it is crucial to let them cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. 

They should be able to keep for up to three weeks without refrigeration.

It is best to consume the pineapple tarts two days after baking them as the pastry will be more pronounced in flavour and the pineapple filling will be softer. 

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Chef Anup Kumar’s recipe for open-faced pineapple tarts

Ingredients for the dough

200g plain flour (replace with cake flour for softer texture)

50g to 78g icing sugar, depending on how sweet you want the tart base to be

24g almond flour

2g fine sea salt

120g cold butter, cubed

3 egg yolks (50g)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. In a cake mixer bowl, place the plain flour, icing sugar, almond flour and salt. 

2. Using a paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are mixed. 

3. Add the cold butter cubes. Starting with low speed and increasing to medium speed, mix until the ingredients combine to form a sandy texture.

4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla essence. Continue mixing until the mixture forms a dough which clings to the paddle.

5. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough briefly to form a disc. 

6. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use, but it is best to let it rest overnight to make it easier to shape. 

Ingredients for the pineapple jam

700g fresh pineapple flesh, finely grated or blended

2 cinnamon sticks

8 to 10 cloves

4 to 5 green cardamom pods

2 star anise

150g caster sugar

2 Tbs rum (optional)

Method

1. In a pot, add the finely grated pineapple, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom and star anise. 

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours, to reduce the moisture in the mixture.

3. Add ¾ of the sugar and continue cooking, stirring for about 20 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns golden brown. Add the remaining sugar and continue cooking for a few minutes if the mixture is too tart. The final texture should be sticky and the jam should not have any visible moisture.

4. Turn off the heat and add the rum. Stir well and allow the mixture to cool. The jam will turn deeper in colour as it cools.

5. Remove and discard the spices.

6. Refrigerate the mixture overnight so that it firms up and is easier to shape into balls.

Ingredients for egg wash

20g egg yolk

20ml fresh milk

Method

1. Mix the egg yolk and fresh milk together and strain. Keep chilled until ready to use. 

2. Instead of brushing the egg wash onto the tart dough with a brush, you can pour the egg wash into a spray bottle and spray it on the tart dough to avoid marring the tart base with the brush.

Assembling the tart

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C.

2. Shape the pineapple jam into balls of 8g to 10g each. 

3. On a flour-dusted surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 4mm-thick sheet.

4. Dust a pineapple tart cutter and shake off excess flour. Press it into the dough and gently twist to cut out the tart base. Minimise the space between each cut-out to get more pieces from the tart base.

5. Arrange cut dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

6. Lightly brush or spray a thin coat of egg wash on the cut dough. 

7. Place a ball of pineapple jam on each piece of the cut dough. Gently tap the ball so the filling sticks to the dough.

8. To decorate the tarts, roll out the remainder of the dough into thin strips and place them on top of the pineapple filling in the shape of a cross.

9. Place the baking tray with the tarts into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

10. Allow tarts to cool completely before storing in air-tight containers.

Makes 30 to 40 tarts.

AllSpice Institute is conducting workshops called Dragon Pineapple Tart & Sugee Cake this festive season.

Where: AllSpice Institute, Block 162 Bukit Merah Central, 07-3545
When: Jan 31 and Feb 6, 10am to 1pm
Admission: $168 nett
Info: Call 6377-9303 or e-mail admin1@allspice.edu.sg