I tried my hand at making Kue Nastar (Indonesian style pineapple tarts) yesterday, using Amy Beh's recipe. It was recommended by Ann of pigpigscorner. Thanks, Ann!
So there I was, preparing the dough, wondering if this could be THE ONE. It started out promising enough - the dough looked very buttery and creamy. Unfortunately, everything went downhill right after that.
The moment I moved on to the piping, it was Nastar, Spectacular, Disastar all the way! A disaster of epic proportions.
Out of the 80-something pineapple jam balls here, I only managed to wrap about 30 the whole afternoon! In contrast, I managed to make about 100 open-faced tarts the day before.
It took me such a long time just to get some decent-looking Kue Nastar (10 good, 20 bad). Most were curiously misshapen at best, hideously ugly at worst. The problem with making melt-in-your-mouth pastry is handling the melt-in-your-hands dough. You need a deft, light touch which I obviously lacked. The ridges on the Nastar dough kept getting disfigured every time I did the wrapping. And I had to re-do and re-do and re-do. Don't even talk to me about glazing.
Having said that, don't they look elegant? I've always loved the look of Kue Nastar. I just didn't know they were fussy little divas. So hard to work with! Or is it just me? Boo hoo!
Perhaps I will try these again another time, when I feel up to the challenge. The recipe is sound and the pastry is good, but for now, I'm sticking with open-faced tarts. Back to the drawing board, folks!
Posts
For me, it look good !! and I always prefer to make Nastar during CNY.
ReplyDeleteSonia, you're too kind! I only have 10 nice ones, how to celebrate CNY like that?! LOL! I am waiting to see yours. Must learn from you. ;)
ReplyDeleteHello, what a patience you have !
ReplyDeleteThe result is worth there, they are magnificent,I do not know but I will taste with pleasure
They look more than just elegant, they are the masterpieces! Just scrumptious!
ReplyDeletei just made my own pineapple jam over the weekend and it is not as bad as i thought! the key is to use a pot with a wide base so the jam dries out more quickly, and to make the jam in small batches. i used 2 cans of pineapple rings and added some lemon juice to it before cooking so it was pleasantly sour, albeit a little different from the traditional one. in total, i spent about 45mins cooking the jam :) like you, i have thought about less time consuming ways to cook the jam and i think using the rice cooker is a possible alternative since rice never burns in the cooker but will on the stove (similar to the jam if left unstirred for too long). just a thought!
ReplyDeletefor the pastry, i think florence of 'do what i like' has a pretty good recipe. i would paste the link here but i cannot seem to do it. i tried it last year and the results were wonderful! it was really melt in your mouth :D i will be using her recipe again this year.
happy cny baking!
sammi
They look good to me. What Nastar?? You are too harsh on yourself lah..
ReplyDeleteDo you think this will help?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.malaysiabest.net/2006/01/31/step-by-step-of-making-pineapple-tarts/
I like this shape better, more crumbly!
They look gorgeous! It's too bad you struggled with the recipe though... I guess sometimes the important thing about a recipe is the ease of making it eh? Looks great anyway and Im sure taste fantastic! When you find the perfect recipe let us know!
ReplyDeletePS - who is eating all of these?
I've always liked Bengawan Solo's premium p/apple tarts. Whenever I transit in Changi,I will always lug back some containers of tarts as gifts (outbound and inbound!).
ReplyDeleteYours looks so neat, clean, buttery and delicious!! I think I'll start mine soon. :)
It looks great to me!
ReplyDeleteThis is another first for me. There are so many delicious desserts that I need to go out and try. They look really cute.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an ordeal but they all look PERFECT!!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that they look like little stuffed butter curls..Sinfully attractive:) Cute ...cute cute..like the post a/ Zurin..You girls are a little breath of fresh air!
ReplyDeleteThey're delish! :) i also like pineapple tarts that melt in your mouth. it's like eating a good cheesecake, where the taste lingers for quite some time, and when you pop in another one, the taste just intensifies.
ReplyDeletei hope you'll find the perfect one! happy new year!
btw, I used to buy pineapple tarts from an old lady who sells 'kuih muih' at the Sunday market. her tarts are the best that I've ever tasted. I always came back to the market just to buy her tarts. it was cheap by then.
ReplyDeletenow, she raised the price of the tarts in a small container, and they have gotten smaller in size. :(
What did you do to those 20 "bad" ones? Are they on their way to HK? I'm waiting for them!
ReplyDeleteOh JU htey are absolutely lovely! when I first saw the pic on top I was thinking what was Ju talking about a disaster for!? then I read...oh im so sorry u had such a hard time Ju...:(
ReplyDeletetell u what let me make some one day..if it works out ill tell u all about it ..if it doesnt at least I know what u went thru :))Ive nevr made htese
after reading ur post I really feel like making these little devils work out (no pun intended) lol
Oh but I dont think I can roll my jam like that...its on the moist side..ill have to make it drier.
will let u know ;)
You've so read my mind cause I'm planning to make some tarts as well. After reading your post, I'm going to stick with open faced ones instead even though the Nastar ones look gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWow these are totally new to me...I love the look of them...Ju what you made are lovely...
ReplyDeleteBaking can sometimes be a very frustrating thing...
I would like to pop one of these right into my mouth!
Ma quando ci troviamo per un te cosi' posso provare le tue prelibatezze? sono davvero invitanti, complimenti.
ReplyDeleteCiao Daniela.
wow complimenti per questo post meraviglioso!!ciao!
ReplyDeleteThe 10 are so cute though =) Thank you for sharing the struggles... if I ever get round to attempting pineapple tarts and make a big mess of them, as I likely will, I will take comfort knowing that even you had your challenging moments!
ReplyDeleteAnd the tarts in your previous post looked fab too... I just told friend I had no intention of trying to make pineapple tarts this year but now I'm tempted...
ELEGANT??? sure am!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is beautiful and perfect. Must try this recipe ~ Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDear Ju,
ReplyDeleteI think chilling the dough before shaping may help with the problem ... though not completely. I've been using this recipe shared by Aunty Lily (http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2007/02/pineapple-roll.html) since my days of craving for pineapple tarts in the States. My family prefers the melts-in-your-mouth type, too!
Pei-Lin
Wow, these pineapple tart look gorgeous...absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeletei had to laugh. I have spent a VERY long time on recipes that make just a mouthful.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started on phyllo dough
Sorry you had a hard time but the ones you completed look great!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my faves CNY cookies.. I think I really want to give it a try!! :) Love the shape!
ReplyDeletePineapple Tarts are tasty, yet a chore to make. My wife says that if one can master pineapple tarts, they'll probably have no problems baking other pastries. It takes a lot of patience to get the right texture for the crumbly pastry. Personally, I still prefer the open-topped ones.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for leaving a message on my blog. I've been visiting your blog sometimes but have not been commenting :D
I've never heard of these, but they are beautiful. You did a great job, and you have a lot of patience. Pineapple sounds really great.
ReplyDeletewow this is awesome, i have yet to start making myu cookies
ReplyDeleteWow...this already look awesome to me... the lines are so clearly shown... :)
ReplyDeleteIt's worth the effort because they look so good!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your quick answer. I try to post again and it seems to be working from the computer I use at work ... It's not a MacIntosh, as the one I use at home ! Maybe Mac has a problem with Blogger .. Hope this bug will be fixed soon ... ;o)
ReplyDeleteHave a good day too
Hélène
wow this looks so cute like something you would eat from a high tea place. well done! i might have to try that recipe
ReplyDelete(a lot of people are named Ann hey LOL)
Awesome...its mouthwatering and eyecandy.. very good.
ReplyDeleteI think they look really pretty, Ju! Two things; firstly, I never knew they were called nastar; secondly, I never knew they were such divas, as you put it!
ReplyDeleteBut good on you for trudging through! Great job :)
Your pineapple tarts look (and, I'm sure, taste) gorgeous, even if there were only 10! Just wondering if this tip may help: first, pipe individual strips of pastry dough direct onto the baking sheet, well spaced of course; then put in place the balls of pineapple filling on each pastry strip; now put the entire baking sheet in the fridge to chill both the dough and filling for, say, 15-30 minutes (the chilling should firm the dough enough to make it easier to handle); remove the baking sheet from the fridge and now flip the (unfilled part of) pastry over to cover the filling. This way (e.g., piping straight onto the baking sheet), you get to handle the pastry dough as little as possible, which I've found in my own baking makes it easier, especially with working with soft crumbly pastry. Good luck! Wish me luck too as I'd love to bake these golden gems!
ReplyDeleteCan i know where is the recipe for the open-faced pineapple tarts?
ReplyDeleteWow....these look perfect to me. Lots of patience needed for these!
ReplyDeletethey look beautiful! I can understand...I helped my mum once in the kitchen many years ago and gave up after making like....maybe 5..haha. the pastry is such a pain to deal with. Practice makes perfect =)
ReplyDeletethe shape is so unique... looks very pro to me!!! :D
ReplyDeleteI love Pineapple Tarts!! Good luck with the next batch when you do them! : )
ReplyDelete