[Recipe] Golden Pillow Cheese Pineapple Tarts

January 23, 2020 The Hedgehog Knows 0 Comments A⁺ a^-

For those who know me, Chinese New Year is always a busy period. Apart from baking my usual goodies, e.g. almond cookies, peanut cookies and open-faced pineapple tarts, I also like to develop/ share a new CNY goodie (airfryer) recipe every year.

This year's recipe is for those who love cheese. Personally, I count burrata as my favourite cheese. That creamily soft texture is ooh-so-good, especially when paired with some tomatoes!

This recipe is adapted from my (closed) Pineapple Tart recipe, with slight tweaks. My parents love how the crust is soft, flaky and buttery. Every bite offers a good combination of flavours, with sweet-sour tinges from the pineapple jam and savoury flavours from the parmesan cheese. So good!

Btw, a friend who knew that I baked these using the airfryer even commented that the cheese toppings made these goodies a little crispy. Haha, crispy like fried chicken? Try out the recipe and let me know. :)

I have shaped these pineapple tarts like cute little pillows (maybe I am just dreaming of my bed because I have not been sleeping enough recently). The golden hues certainly add an auspicious touch to these little gems!

Golden Pillow Cheese Pineapple Tart Recipe Using Airfryer

Yield: 28 pieces

Ingredients

Tart crust

(A)

155g cake/top flour

15g icing sugar

20g custard powder (see photo below)

20g parmesan cheese powder

a pinch of salt

100g butter, cold and unsalted

(B)

1 egg yolk, beaten

2 tsp cold water/ milk

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tsp milk

1/4 tsp oil

Filling

225g pineapple jam, ready-made

Directions

1. Sieve all the ingredients in (A), except the butter, into a cold mixing bowl.

Tips: I usually use a metallic mixing bowl to keep the bowl cold for a longer time.

2. Add the cold butter and gently rub the butter onto the flour until the texture become like fine breadcrumbs. Take care not to overwork the dough.

Tips #1: This is called the rubbing-in method and a crucial point is to keep the batter cold during the process. As such, do use plastic gloves while rubbing so that less heat from your hands is transferred. Use the tips of your fingers too.

Tips #2: Also, use butter that is cut into small pieces so that you can finish the rubbing process faster while keeping the mixture cold.

3. Add the egg yolk and gently knead to form the dough. To bind the dough, add a little cold water/ milk (bit by bit) until you get the desired texture.

4. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Wrap in 2 cling-wrap batches and chill for at least 30 min till they become firm.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple jam. Taking out the required amount from the ready-made pack, roll the pineapple jam into balls of 7g each.

6. Preheat the airfryer at 145 degrees for 5 min.

7. By now, the dough should be firm enough and ready. Roll into balls of 10g each.

8. Roll each ball out flat and wrap the the pineapple jam balls inside.

Tips: I use my fingers as a gauge for similar sizing across my pastries.

9. Brush a layer of egg wash and top it off with some parmesan cheese.

11. Bake the pineapple tarts at 145 degrees for 14 min. If you like it more golden-brown, continue for another 2 to 3 min.

12. Cool the pineapple tarts well before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Tips: You can store them for up to a week at room temperature, but I would recommend that you put them in the fridge as there are no preservatives. Enjoy!