Caramelised pineapple pies

“The cream cheese pastry I use here works for both sweet and savoury pies because it has so little sugar in it. You can make the pastry a few days ahead of time and keep it refrigerated or frozen which makes this dish an easy number to whip up for a mid-week dessert.” Rachel Khoo, Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook Melbourne

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 small pineapple
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ice-cream, to serve

Cream cheese pastry

• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 150 g cream cheese, softened
  ½ tsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 200 g plain flour, plus a little for dusting the work surface

Cinnamon sugar syrup

• 50 g sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

To make the cream cheese pastry, whisk the butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the flour and stir until a dough comes together. Turn out onto your work surface, shape into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, peel the pineapple and use a small sharp knife to remove the eyes. Cut four 2 cm-thick slices, then use a biscuit cutter to stamp out the centre core. Place a large frying pan over high heat. Place the sugar on a plate, then press the pineapple slices into the sugar to coat both sides. Once the pan is hot, add the sugared pineapple slices and cook, without moving, for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Add the butter to the pan and shake gently until a lovely caramel forms. Remove the caramelised pineapple from the pan, place on a baking paper lined tray and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until cooled.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC. 

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a 30 cm x 60 cm rectangle. Cut in half widthways, then cut each half into quarters (you should end up with 8 equal-sized pieces). Place the pineapple slices on a piece of paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. 

Place one pineapple slice on a pastry square and brush the beaten egg around the edge. Place another piece of pastry on top, then press firmly around the edge of the pineapple to seal it in and make sure there are no air bubbles. Using a screw top bottle lid, make a scalloped edge around the pie (or you can use a knife but the edge won’t be so neat).  Reserve the pastry scraps as you can freeze and re-roll them for another use. Place on a baking paper-lined baking tray, then use a skewer to make a hole in the centre and a small knife to decorate the top if desired. Brush all over with egg wash, then refrigerate while you assemble the remaining pies. When all the pies are assembled, brush all over with beaten egg for a second time. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top and on the base.

Meanwhile, to make the cinnamon sugar syrup, place the sugar, cinnamon and 50 ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, the remove from the heat. As soon as the pies come out of the oven, brush all over with the hot syrup and serve warm or at room temperature with ice-cream.

Recipes from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook by Rachel Khoo (Michael Joseph, $39.99). Drop by Rachel Khoo’s website.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.