I said it. There is no turning back now.
In my entire life, I have not bought pineapple tarts from the stores before. Having grown up on my mother’s pineapple tarts, I did not have any strong desire to buy the ones sold outside.
Back then, the pineapple tart production line at home starts a month before Chinese New Year and did not usually stop till Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Grating the pineapple, cooking the pineapple to make jam, kneading and rolling the dough, cutting out the dough using the dough cutters for the crust, arranging the cut-out crusts in rows on the baking tray, rolling pineapple jam into little balls, placing the little balls onto the cut-out crusts, applying egg wash on the crusts, putting the tarts into the oven to bake, cooling the tarts and arranging the tarts in a container.
So many steps. Back-breaking work. But it was a lot of fun. Especially when Mom’s friends pop by to join the production line.
Growing up, my mom allowed me to roll the pineapple jam into little balls, apply egg wash and do nothing else. I have always liked rolling the dough and cutting out the dough with the dough cutters but she insisted on doing this herself. She wanted consistency in the thickness of the dough and being consistent in this respect wasn’t my forte.
My mom has stopped making pineapple tarts for the family several years ago and passed on the baton to me. As I said, being consistent is not my forte so family and friends get homemade pineapple tarts, at best, in alternate years. I emphasize – at best.
Last year, I made the jam but could not find it in me to continue. So this year, I am determined to get my act together and produce something!
For a start, I grated half-a-dozen pineapples and drained the juice this evening. I need some brilliant but idiot-proof ideas as to what I can do with the pineapple juice.
I am starting to smell like pineapple too.
