Recipe: Pine Tarts

Probably my most favourite Guyanese pastry - everybody makes them a little bit different, but they're all tasty!!

Ingredients

2 cans crushed pineapple
Sugar (depends on how sweet you want the tarts)
1 large egg

Pastry

1 lb (16 oz) flour
½ lb (8 oz) of Crisco shortening

Preparation

• Drain most of the liquid from the pineapple in the cans, then empty the cans into a pot. Add sugar till the sweetness is desired to your taste.
• Boil the pineapple on a medium fire until the juice is absorbed but the fruit is not dry. Stir often to avoid burning. Put aside to cool.
• Prepare the pastry: mix the flour and shortening together until the mixture becomes crumbly like bread crumbs.
• Then, as you mix with your hands, add small amounts of ice cold water as needed, and knead until the flour mixture becomes soft and doughy.
• Break off 1½ inch balls and roll out into thin rounds.
• Put an amount of the pineapple mixture in the center of each round, and then close the pastry over the filling to form a triangle-shaped tart. Use a fork to pinch the corners shut.
• Beat the egg in a bowl and brush it on top of the pine tarts.
• Put the tarts in an oven preheated to 350°F, and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until done.