Homemade Spiced Pineapple Jam (For Pineapple Tarts)

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Work through all five pineapples. Cut off each bottom, stand the fruit securely on its flat base and remove the peel.

   Uses 5 small Malaysian honey pineapples, about 800 g each before trimming

2. 2

   Step 2: Remove all the rough brown eyes with V-shaped diagonal grooves. Rinse the peeled fruit with clean water and pat dry.

   Uses Only peeled pineapple flesh, excluding removed peel and bottoms · Clean water, enough to rinse the trimmed pineapple; drain and pat dry

3. 3

   Step 3: Cut each pineapple lengthwise into wedges and remove the hard inner core.

   Uses Trimmed, rinsed and dried pineapple flesh

4. 4

   Step 4: Slice the cored wedges thinly, chop finely and collect all the chopped pineapple in a large bowl. Keep a little variation in the pieces if you prefer a more substantial texture.

   Uses Only cored pineapple wedges, with cores discarded

5. 5

   Step 5: Warm a stainless-steel pot over low heat. Add all the chopped pineapple, ½ cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves and ½ star anise.

   Uses All finely chopped pineapple · ½ cinnamon stick · 3 whole cloves, the spice · ½ whole star anise

6. 6

   Step 6: Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom, until the free pineapple juices have reduced away. Continue if the fruit is still watery, without letting it burn.

   Reduce the pineapple juices · 30 minUses Chopped pineapple and whole spices

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the full 375 g caster sugar and mix well. Continue cooking over low heat for about another 30 minutes, stirring even more frequently, until golden, sticky and still moist, with no visible pool of liquid when the pot is tilted. The mixture may become watery again after the sugar goes in; reduce it without drying it hard, as it will thicken on cooling and cook further in the tarts.

   Finish the pineapple jam · 30 minUses Reduced pineapple and whole spices · 375 g caster sugar

8. 8

   Step 8: Transfer the jam to shallow heatproof containers, remove the cinnamon, cloves and star anise, and cool promptly. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C. Once cooled, cover tightly and leave in the fridge overnight before shaping for tarts. Weigh the finished jam for the pastry recipe you are using.

   Uses Only completed pineapple jam, with the whole spices discarded