The pineapple tart originates far back in the 1500s when the Portuguese Empire conquered the Malay Peninsula. Incorporating salt into dough by rubbing butter into flour was a unique Portuguese way of making pastries, whilst Malay’s homemade pineapple jam, made due to an abundance of domestic pineapple, was incorporated to make these sweet treats. This recipe has been made healthier and adapted to make it also suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Serves: 32
Dietary: Suitable for vegetarians, nut-free and coeliac diets
Contains: milk, egg, sulphites
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the jam:
1 pineapple, peel and core removed, cut into chunks
½ cup (300 g) dried apricots
5 Tbsp (7 g) granulated sweetener
For the pastry:
¾ cup (105 g) gluten-free plain flour
¾ cup (105 g) gram (chickpea) flour
¼ cup (30 g) corn flour
1 large banana, mashed
3 Tbsp granulated sweetener
2 Tbsp skimmed milk powder, fortified.
1 egg (plus extra for egg wash)
1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
- To make the jam, put the fruit in a blender until very small pieces.
- Place blended fruit, sweetener and 1 cup (250 ml) water into a heavy-based pan on medium heat. Stir regularly for 30 minutes until the liquid is evaporated. Leave to cool.
- Place all the pastry ingredients into a bowl and stir well to form a ball (you may need to add a very small drop of water). Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 5 minutes.
- Divide dough into 4. Roll out 1 piece at a time on a (gluten-free) floured surface into a rectangle, approximately 8 cm by 30 cm.
- Place ¼ of the jam in a line along the middle lengthways. Egg wash one side of the pastry.
- Roll the pastry starting from the non-egg washed piece so that the jam is covered, and it resembles a giant sausage roll. Cut this into 8 equal pieces. Repeat for the other ¾ of the mix.
- Place cookies onto a lined baking tray, egg wash and cook in a preheated oven at 180˚C/ 160˚C Fan/ 356˚F/Gas Mark for 20 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
- Cool completely on a rack before eating.
This recipe has been donated by Angela Thorpe, Student Dietitian, Winchester University
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Per cookie:
Total calories: 73 kcal
Fat: 0.5 g
of which saturates: 0.1 g
Carbohydrate: 14.0 g
of which sugars: 8.3 g
Fibre: 1.5 g
Protein: 2.0 g
Salt: 0.03 g
NUTRITION FACTS
- This recipe is a good source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy immune system and a healthy heart.
- It is also low in fat, saturated fat, and salt, with no added sugar. The dried apricots, pineapple and bananas provide a natural sweetness, and granulated sweeter was used to replace any additional sugar and can be adapted further according to taste.
VARIATIONS
- Swap the pineapple and apricot with figs and cinnamon for a different jam filling.
- Oat flour is a good substitute if chickpea flour is not accessible. It is also possible to make the oat flour at home
Consumer tested by Luke Maher, Student Nutritionist, Atlantic Technological University
Checked by Kathy Lewis, R.Nutr.,
© 2023 The Caroline Walker Trust