Pine Tart
Nobody can beat Vedo at making these, so when in doubt call her in New York! She sometimes uses boxed pie crust mix for a quick and easy way of getting them done for guests. You can also use canned, crushed pineapples- but boil with sugar, cinnamon, and juice until it’s the right consistency.
Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp superfine (caster) sugar
- ½ cup margarine or shortening
- ~4 tbsp ice water
Filling:
- 8 oz fresh pineapple chunks
- ½ water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp lime juice
Directions:
For Pastry:
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, lifting the flour as you do to trap air into the mixture. Add cold water by the tablespoon just until dough holds together, using a blunt knife to stir. Let pastry dough rest in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
For filling:
Puree pineapple in food processor or blender. Transfer to saucepan with water, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. When boiling reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to jam-like consistency. Let cool thoroughly (heat will affect pastry). Remove the cinnamon stick.
Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C/Gas 6). Roll out pastry on floured surface to an eighth to a quarter inch thickness. Cut into 4-inch squares and place 2 to 3 teaspoons of pineapple mixture in the middle of each. Wet edges with a few drops of water and fold pastry over to make a triangle; press edges together to seal. Prick each once with a fork.
Arrange on a greased baking sheet and bake until golden- 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.
