Singapore Pineapple Tarts

By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, A Tiger in the Kitchen

Cheryl’s article on Chinese New Year Pineapple Tarts can be found in the Wall Street Journal.

Yields about 100 tarts

When I was growing up in Singapore, Chinese New Year meant one thing: my grandmother’s pineapple tarts.  The salty, buttery, bite-size circles topped with quarter-size dollops of dense, homemade pineapple jam were an obsession for me. We had them in the house just once a year, at the lunar new year, when Singaporeans spend two days visiting friends and relatives to swap tales of business and children’s test scores over tea and sweets.  Quantities aren’t exact. My aunts don’t use a recipe, and they laughed at me the first 10 times I asked them for this one. The first set of instructions they gave me for pineapple jam was, “Aiyah, you just juice the pineapple, add sugar and then boil, boil, boil!”

For the jam:

4 pineapples
at least ½ kilogram sugar (at least 2 ½ cups, depending on desired sweetness)
2 to 3 pandan leaves* knotted together
1 long cinnamon stick, broken in two

• Peel the pineapples, dig out the eyes and chop into chunks. Run the chunks through a juicer. Place the pulp in a large wok or pot with a large surface area and heat on the stove. Add the juice until the mixture has the consistency of porridge or grits; add the knotted pandan leaves and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and keep it there for a total of three hours, stirring often. Halfway through, taste the jam, and add sugar by the half cup until it is as sweet as you desire. (Note: The amount of sugar needed will vary greatly depending on how ripe the pineapples are.)
• The jam is done when the pineapple mixture has changed color from bright yellow to brownish ochre and most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving a dense but moist jam.

*Pandan leaves, also called screwpine, can be found frozen in some Asian grocery stores.

For the pastry:

375 grams salted butter (3 sticks plus 2 ½ Tablespoons) at room temperature
600 grams flour (about 4 ¾ cups)
4 egg yolks, plus 1 yolk for brushing onto pastry

• With a mixer on low speed, combine the butter, flour and four egg yolks, mixing for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Place dough in a cookie press fitted with a disc featuring a circle of diamonds. Press cookies out onto greased baking sheets. Form small balls of dough and press each one into the hollow of a cookie, forming the base of the tart.
• Beat the remaining egg yolk with ½ teaspoon of water. Brush the rim of each tart generously. Take a scant teaspoon of pineapple jam (more or less, as desired) and form a ball, then press into the hollow of each tart. Pat the sides of the jam to create a small dome.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden brown. Remove cookies from sheets and cool on a rack.

Biko Recipe (Filipino Sweet Sticky Rice)

Makes one 9×13 pan

You need to use sweet rice or sticky rice (sometimes called glutinous rice) for this recipe. Coconut cream is found in most Asian and ethnic stores but if you can’t find it, just use the the thick cream from the top layer of a good quality can of coconut milk. Don’t worry if you end up with less coconut milk to use with the rice—simply add enough water to reach the desired amount of cooking liquid.

This recipe can easily be halved. If you like crunchy rice edges, cook the biko in muffin pans or brownie bar pans. Be careful when you pull it out of the oven; the caramelized brown sugar is very hot and can burn you if you try to taste it immediately.

Ingredients:

3 cans (14 oz. can) coconut milk
4 cups sweet rice
2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup coconut cream

Pour coconut milk and about a cup of water into a pot and let it come to a simmer over medium heat. When simmering, add in the rice and stir constantly to prevent burning. Lower the heat if necessary. Preheat oven to 350F.

When rice is sticky and almost dry (it will look like risotto), about 10-15 minutes, add 1 cup brown sugar. Stir well and take off heat. Pour into a lightly buttered 9×13 pan and smooth the top. Mix the remaining 1 cup brown sugar and coconut cream until smooth and pour it over the rice.

Bake for about 1 hour or until topping is dark brown and has thickened. Cool slightly before serving.

Filipino Fruit Sundae (Halo-Halo)

By Jennifer M. Aranas, Author, The Filipino-American Kitchen

Serves 4

3 cups (300 g) shaved ice
1 cup (170 g) diced mango
1 cup (175 g) diced pineapple
1 cup (150 g) diced jackfruit, with juice
1 cup (225 g) macapuno strings
1 cup (200 g) preserved purple yam (ube)
1 (12-oz/340-g) can evaporated milk

Vanilla ice cream, garnish

In 4 tall sundae or milk shake glasses, place 3⁄4 cup (75 g) shaved ice. On top of that, add 1⁄4 cup (approximately 50 g) each of mango, pineapple, jackfruit, macapuno strings, and purple yam. Pour 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) evaporated milk and some of the jackfruit juice into each glass. Top the halo-halo with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serve with long ice cream spoons to mix the layers together.

Variation: If you don’t feel like buying each ingredient separately, prepared halo-halo fruit mixes are available at the Asian grocer. These convenient, pre-made mixes come in glass jars and, depending on the brand, include a combination of halo-halo staples such as sweetened beans, coconut sport, purple yam, coconut gel, and palm nuts. Place a few spoonfuls of the mix in a glass, then top with shaved ice, evaporated milk, and vanilla ice cream for a nearly instant halo-halo. I find the mixes are a great base to which you can add your favorite fruits such as jackfruit, litchi, banana, mango, papaya, or guava.

One of the keys to an authentic halo-halo is shaved ice. Though crushing ice in a blender may seem like a viable alternative, a blender can’t process ice into the fine flakes that make halo-halo unique. Since shaved ice drinks and desserts are popular throughout Asia, you’ll be sure to find either an electric or manual ice shaver at an Asian grocer. They are also available at large chain stores that sell kitchen goods.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Baked Coconut Slices

Courtesy of Quick & Easy Asian Desserts

1/2 cup (65 g) glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup (135 g) shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 cups (200 g) grated fresh coconut or
3/4 cup (100 g) dried coconut flakes, soaked in 1 cup (250 ml) water, drained
2 teaspoons pandanus or vanilla extract
2 tablespoons oil

Serves 4–6
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).

2. Combine the glutinous rice flour, palm sugar, coconut and pandanus or vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and mix well.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or saucepan over low heat, turning to grease the sides. Stir-fry the coconut mixture for 20–25 minutes until dry. Remove from the heat.

4. Grease a baking tray with the remaining oil. Pour the cooked coconut mixture into the tray and level it with the back of a wet spoon.

5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cake is golden brown on the surface. Cut the cake into the desired shapes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Mango Refrigerator Cake

Courtesy of Quick & Easy Asian Desserts

Serves 4–5
Preparation time: 40 mins
Chilling time: 4–5 hours

6 large ripe mangoes (about 61/2 lbs/3 kg)
Two and half packets (75 sticks) lady finger biscuits (61/2 oz/200 g per packet)
2 cups (500 ml) canned mango juice
Three x 8-oz (250-g) pack cream cheese
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
3 cups (375 g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1. Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh away from the pits, then slice the flesh thinly. Divide into three equal portions and set aside.

2. Divide the biscuits into 3 portions. Work with one portion at a time. Dip the biscuits, one at a time, into the mango juice. Arrange the biscuits in a 12 x 8 x 2 in (30 x 20 x 5 cm) baking pan, with the tops of the biscuits facing down.

3. Beat together the cream cheese and heavy cream in an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Divide the cream cheese mixture into three equal portions.

4. Spread 1 portion of the cream cheese mixture over the biscuits. Arrange one portion of the mango wedges over the cream cheese mixture.

5. Dip the second portion of biscuits, one at a time, in the mango juice and layer over the mangoes. Spread one portion of the cream cheese mixture on the biscuits and arrange one portion of the mangoes on top.

6. Dip the remaining biscuits in the mango juice, one at a time, and arrange on top of the mangoes. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture on the biscuits. Arrange the remaining mango wedges on top. Chill for 4–5 hours, or until firm, before serving.

Lady finger biscuits are sweet, crumbly biscuits sold in packets in supermarkets. Graham crackers may be substituted if lady finger biscuits are not available. There are 27 sheets in each box (14 oz/408 g) of graham crackers. Each sheet can be broken down into 4 pieces. One other substitute for finger biscuits will be the “broas” sold at Filipino specialty stores.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.