Homemade Pineapple Tarts

I suppose it'd be good to weigh all the pineapple balls to ensure 

you can get them evenly sized.. but it was too much work.. 

so I decided to forgo that step..

I've always wanted to make pineapple tarts with home-made pineapple paste (made from fresh pineapples) for the Chinese New Year.. but never got around to doing it.

So when a friend asked if I'd be baking anything for the Chinese New Year 2 weeks ago, I said no.

But then last week, I went to this little baking supplies shop at Tanjong Katong and saw a box of Sarawak Pineapple Paste. The man in the shop said the Sarawak Pineapple Paste is not as sweet as the regular ones he has in his shop.

In a moment of impulse, I bought the pineapple paste and so ended up making a batch of pineapple tarts today.

It's my first time making pineapple tarts. I thought that the pastry was very good. I modified a couple of recipes I had from my friends and am really pleased with the results. But I find the pineapple paste still a little too sweet for my liking - it'd probably be better if I made the type of pineapple tarts where there is more pastry than paste.

Ingredients (for pastry)
200g Unsalted butter, cold
200g Plain Flour
50g Cornmeal
2tsp Cornflour
2tbsp Custard Powder
1tsp Salt
2tbsp Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg


What I did
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together
2. Cut butter into small pieces
3. Rub dry ingredients into cold butter until entire mixture resembles breadcrumbs
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour
6. Roll dough out and cut into desired size and shape
7. Place on silpat and brush with beaten egg, bake at 190 deg C for 10mins
8. Roll pieces of pineapple paste into small balls and place on baked cookies
9. Bake for another 10-15mins at 190 deg C

I can appreciate why pineapple tarts cost so much after making them.. Although it's not difficult to make them... all that cutting and rolling is really quite time-consuming...