Cream Cheese Pineapple Tarts For The Chinese New Year

Is it coincidence or what?  When my daughter, Sharon asked me to have a look at the pineapple tarts she just made, i could not believe my eyes, the both of us used the same pineapple tart mold!!!!  We had a good laugh.

When i was asked what i am grateful for, i will not hesitate and mentioned that the internet is what i am most grateful for.  It has given me a chance to posts my tested recipes on this blog and share with friends and strangers(who will and have become friends) to try out these recipes.  I  do not have to carry hard copies of recipes whenever i wish to bake or cook - google is my best friend.  The next grateful aspect is skype, i am now able to teach or discuss on video chat with friends and family , especially with Sharon who is into baking and i am most proud of her.  Keep up the good work, dear Sharon.

  I have been baking pineapple tarts with all these 3 pastries that i have posted -
Pineapple Tarts , Pineapple "Open" Tarts and Pineapple Roll and it is about time to post another pineapple tart pastry for all of you to try.  This pastry is very light because i did not use any liquid.  I hope that sour cream is not hard to come by in Malaysia or other parts of the world, if so, Sour Cream substitute link is HERE

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Revisited

Thanksgiving is about being thankful for everything—but i am extra-thankful for all my family and friends who will be enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner with us.  I know they love the High Roast Turkey which has never failed to please and traditionally the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie.  This time around, i have changed the method but not the recipe to this Sweet Potato Pecan Pie and used a Tart mold instead of the Pie dish.  Before i share the new method, I would like to wish all my readers and their family a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Pineapple Tart Filling

Ever since i owned a microwave oven in 1986, i have been using it alot to aid my cooking and it is the most used appliance in my kitchen.  I would not have made or cooked so often if i have to slave on a stovetop for hours on end.  The microwave has allowed me to cook faster without having to attend to the cooking and allowing me time to fulfil other tasks and the best part is that i do not have extra pots and pans for cleaning.  This time of the year is always busy, busy, especially when the Chinese New Year is just 2 weeks away and it means that it is time to bake Pineapple Tarts which is a must for this celebration.  Why Pineapple Tarts??? Chinese is a tonal language and punning based on tones is very common. The word for 'pineapple' in Hokkien dialect 'ong la i' is also a pun for the "king" (ong ) or "prosperity"(ong) and "comes" (la i) i.e. hopes for royally rich or a prosperity year to come!  Before the pineapple tarts can be made, the filling has to be cooked first and i am sharing How to cook it in the Microwave.

I use crushed pineapple for the pineapple tart filling

Drain juice from crushed pineapple and process until fine

I use a bowl but a cup or whatever is ok, to measure the amount of processed pineapple -1 bowl/cup pinneapple pulp to 1 bowl/cup sugar, 3/4 bowl/cup will be acceptable as canned pineapple tend to be sweeter than fresh ones

Put the processed pineapple into a large microwave-safe bowl

Measure the amount of sugar with the same bowl/cup used to measure the processed pineapple

Add cinnamon sticks and cloves to the sugar and pineapple mixture and cook in the microwave.  Cook it for a longer period if you have a large amount

With this amount of sugar and processed pineapple, i cook for 10 minutes, stir after every cycle and continue another two more 10 minutes and stir.  I have a 900 watts microwave oven and if your microwave has a higher wattage, use shorter time and also it depends on how dry the processed pineapple is drained.  I do not drained until too dry cos i like the flavor of the pineapple in the juice.  When the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the time to 5 minutes and so forth, until filling thick and caramelized.

After every cycle of cooking, remove from the microwave oven and stir well to distribute the heat

After stirring, continue to cook in the microwave until filling has thicked and caramelized

Pineapple filling has thickened and caramelized.  It will be more dry when it hs been cooled, so do not cook until too dry otherwise the filling will be too hard after the tarts are baked.  If you have gone too dry when cooking, just add in a little water and give it a buzz or two to heat the water

Allow the cooked pineapple filling to cool before removing the cloves and cinnamon sticks.  Caution:  cooked pineapple filling is very hot, handle with extreme care.  When cooled, store in air-tight container.  This filling can be prepared ahead and can be frozen until needed.

Tip:  When the filling cooled, adjust the taste with lime/lemon juice and some salt will bring out the flavor of the pineapple

Flaky Egg Tarts

If you are a Dim Sum lover, you will recognise these delectable tarts and if you frequent the Dim Sum restaurants, you will know that these tarts disappear fast.  If you do not ask the waitress to reserve some when they are out of the oven, you will not have any.  You must be wondering why, after so many years of baking, it is only now that i am posting these egg tarts.  I have to admit that these tarts are one of the most difficult of all the bakings i have baked.  It was quite challenging and the family had been eating the not so pretty products, they tasted good but just not presentable.  One would think that the recipe was at fault but no, it was me, not that proficient - first the pastry had to be mastered - good rolling skills and patience needed.  The best part of these tarts was the flaky pastry, it has to be flaky of course, although the custard had to br right too.  This marriage will be in a very rough situation and not very forgiving if not worked properly.  To make this marriage work, the thickness of the pastry had to be right, too thick - there will not be enough room for the custard, too thin - the flakiness in the pastry will not be effective. Docking the pastry was my greatest regret.  i must have poked too hard and the custard seeped through, making the tart impossible to remove from the mold.  Then the baking - know your oven - a hot oven to me worked best and baked these tarts at the last third of the rung in your oven, this will ensure that the pastry will get browned and the custard being further away from the top elements will not get cooked before the pastry.  Lower the heat after 15 minus to finish cooking the custard to perfection and this did not mean that the whole tray of tarts will be ready at the same time, uneven hot spots in the oven are to be blamed and this is a common fact.  You would have to remove the tarts accordingly and leave the uncooked ones to finish baking.  Accordingly means that the tarts with firm custard around the rim and will jiggle slightly in the middle,  are to be taken out of the oven.  When or if the custard in some of the tarts should puff. open the oven door to lower the oven temperature.  These tarts have to be baby-sat for the last part of the baking and they can be moved around for even baking - do not move them if the custard is not firm around the edges, otherwise another regret, the uncooked custard will spill over causing ????????.


Do not let this lengthy jabber hinder you from trying to bake some, just heed my advise and you will produce the most delicious tarts ever.

Apple Frangipane Tart

This tart has that perfect combination of buttery and crumbly pastry, sweet almond cream, and slices of apple. Apples are one of the more versatile fruits and in baking, it is important to use the right type of apple i.e. one that retains its shape when baked and Granny Smith Apples is the one.  They are readily available year round and their tart flavor and firm texture make them ideal not only for this tart, but in pies too..

Frangipane is the French name for a rich pastry filling/topping whose principal ingredient is ground almonds or almond paste.


Since i have a roll of almond paste which has been in the freezer begging to to used and i had to bake something for my daughter, sandra, to bring along for a dinner party.  Time was not with me as the request for something to bring was at an impluse.  Thinking that making this tart would be an easy and quick task but no, no, - the almond paste was hard as rock. How can i use it?  It needed to be softened, I tried using a meat mallet to break it, but it refused to budge.  Perhaps i should just throw it away but thinking that i paid an arm and a leg for it, i just can't see it going into the garbage bin.  Think, think fast and as i was going through all sorts of possiblities, i saw the steamer.  Yes, steam will softened this roll of rock, after all, it was only sugar and almond which has lost it's moisture.  So, in the steamer it went and after 15 minutes, it was nice and soft and ready.  Lucklly, it did not take that long for the almond paste to be pliable and anyway, the crust dough needed sometime to rest too in the fridge.  I made the tart in time for Sandra to bring to the dinner. 

Ong Lai Rabbit/Rabbit Pineapple Tarts

I made these pineapple tarts this year in the shape of the Rabbit and name it Ong Lai Rabbit.  "Ong Lai" in hokkien dialect is 'Pineapple' and the hokkiens love 'Ong Lai' cos it sounded like 'Ong'  which means 'fortune or luck' and 'lai' means 'to come'.  Put them together - 'Ong Lai'  means 'fortune or luck please come'.  Who wouldn't want that. 

With these Ong Lai Rabbits, i wish all alot of 'ONG ONG LAI'
& GONG XI FA CAI

Chiffon Sweet Potato Tarts

 I love baking tarts or pies, they are great for parties or dinners as the pastry can be made ahead or the whole tart or pie can be assembled and frozen and baked fresh on the day of the party or dinner.  I love to serve tarts or pie for a sit-down dinner as they can be so neatly served in individual pieces which looked so enticing.  I can't stand my tarts or pies being mutilated when they are served in a party with a huge crowd, so, i will try and turn them into individual tartlets.

Below is my version of Chiffon Sweet Potato Tart turned into tartlets.