Crispy Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream

Outside of its natural surroundings, two of the most popular tropical fruits are pineapple and coconut. Combining the two in one luscious and refreshing recipe, you condense the flavors of the Caribbean and the Pacific islands. So if you can’t go on your dream trip to a tropical island, bring the tropical paradise to your home by making this luscious, refreshing and crisp pineapple with coconut ice cream dessert.

Basically, pineapple and coconuts are healthy and nutritious fruits. This dessert recipe, however, is not exactly for those watching their weight or on a diet since it’s made with cream and eggs. The luxurious and luscious base of English cream used in the coconut ice cream is actually a type of light custard made with milk, egg yolks, and sugar. When the base is completed, coconut milk, coconut cream, and grated coconut are added to the mix and placed in an ice cream maker to get a smooth and creamy final product. If you do not have an ice cream machine, you can still make ice cream manually but the result is rougher and more rustic. If you opt to make ice cream manually, you need to churn the mixture every thirty minutes after it has frozen, repeating the process at least three times. To get a relatively smooth and even consistency use an electric mixer.

Sweet and ripe pineapples that are uniformly golden in color and small in size but plump in shape are the best pineapples for use in this recipe. They exude a wonderful sweet aroma. To prepare a pineapple, use a sharp knife to cut off the top and the base. Let the fruit stand upright on the cutting board then slice off the skin following the contour of the flesh, in long and vertical strips. Now using a paring knife, remove the eyes of the pineapple making small v-shaped grooves and working diagonally down all the way around the pineapple. Slice it in half then quarters and into bite-sized pieces. Remove and discard the tough core part.

Ingredients

1 pineapple

0.55 lbs. feuilletage (puff pastry)

3.5 oz. (7 tablespoons) powdered sugar

0.55 lbs creme patisserie (vanilla flavored custard filling for pastries and cakes)

8.8 oz. whipping cream

1 vanilla pod

3.6 oz. (about 7 tablespoons) semolina sugar

3 tablespoons water

grated coconut

coconut milk

For the English cream:

2 cups milk

4 egg yolks

19 teaspoons sugar

raspberries

powdered sugar

creme patissiere (French pastry cream)

1. To create an English cream, heat milk. Whip the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Gently add the yolk-sugar mixture to the heated milk, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture over low fire until you obtain a custard texture. At the end of the cooking, remove the pot from the stove and add coconut milk, coconut cream, and some grated coconut. Mix well and place in the ice cream machine.

2. Slice the pineapple finely and collect the pineapple juice. Sprinkle some sugar icing on a plate and place the pineapple on top of it. Then sprinkle more of the sugar icing on top, then place the plate in the oven so it lightly caramelizes. Heat also the grated coconut in the oven.

3. Cut a small round stencil from a cardboard box. Get a plate and slightly sprinkle it with sugar icing. Place the stencil on the plate, and spread a little bit of the creme patissiere over the plate and the stencil. Bake for about 5 minutes to get a crispy round disc.

4. Place 3 scoops of the coconut ice cream on a serving dish. Sprinkle the scoops with some baked coconut. Decorate the dish with the crispy round biscuit and caramelized pineapples.

5. Be sure to pour some of the pineapple sauce on each side. Lastly, add a tiny bit of the raspberry sauce to decorate the dish.