Macadamia Pineapple Tart Recipes

PINEAPPLE MACADAMIA NUT MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Toast nuts in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Coarsely chop 1/4 cup nuts and set aside.
• Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped, then add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and process until dough begins to come together into a ball but is still crumbly. Form dough into a ball with your hands. Press about 1 tablespoon dough evenly over bottom and up side of each pie plate. Chill shells until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Lightly prick bottoms and sides of chilled pie shells all over with a fork.
• Bake until edges are golden and bottoms are pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cool completely in pans on racks. Loosen edges of shells carefully with offset spatula, then carefully remove shells from pans and transfer to a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts into bottoms of shells. Leave oven on.
• Make filling:
• Simmer butter, pineapple, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated and pineapple is slightly translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Cool slightly, then spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into each shell.
• Make meringue topping:
• Beat whites with cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Spoon about 2 tablespoons meringue over filling of each pie, covering filling completely and sealing meringue to pastry.
• Draw meringue up into small peaks and bake until tops are golden in spots, about 5 minutes.
• Cool pies on racks, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

HAWAIIAN COOKIE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine flour, confectioners' sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix well. Add butter and vanilla extract and stir until a soft dough forms. Shape into 36 balls. Place 1 ball in each of 36 ungreased mini muffins cups; press lightly into the bottom and up the sides to make a crust.
• Spoon 1 teaspoon pineapple preserves into each crust. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon macadamia nuts over pineapple. Beat sugar and egg together in a small bowl to combine; mix in coconut until well blended. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the mixture over each macadamia layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust and coconut are golden brown, 23 to 33 minutes.
• Cool in pans for 20 minutes. Hold each pan upside-down at an angle over a wire rack; tap bottoms of cups lightly with a butter knife to release tarts. Let cool completely.