“Be a pineapple- stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside.”

Pineapples are weird fruits, spiney on the outside  and sweet on the inside. It is a source of many important vitamins and minerals, it cures coughs and colds,  helps in digestion and aids in weight loss. Pineapple has a very vibrant tropical flavor and balances the taste of sweet and tart.

All of us at home love pineapple, but I prefer using tinned pineapple for salads and desserts. The sweetest pineapple  I have ever eaten are the ones that dad brings from his estate. So good -you really do not have to stew them before incorporating them into a salad or dessert . If it is from the local market, you cannot really gauge the sweetness of the fruit from outside – it may look ripe but when cut could turn out to be extremely tart. Mom used to make a wonderful pineapple jam when she was young and  let’s not forget – the pineapple jam roll which is so famous at Kunju’s bakery -Kottayam. 

Basically at home, I use pineapple with pork, or could be a pineapple upside down cake, a simple cheese and pineapple salad, or could be a dessert. I love this dessert – in fact all of us do – it’s the right balance of sweetness and the crunch of praline – makes this dessert deliciously complement the warm days of summer.

Happy to be sharing this  wonderful recipe with you,

Ingredients:

• Pineapple tin – 1(400grams)
• Milk -2 cups
• Sugar -3/4 cup
• Eggs – 4(separated)
• Gelatin -2 tbsp
• Pineapple juice -1 cup ( from the tin)
• Cream – 200 ml (1 tetrapack)

Method:

• Make a custard with milk, yolks of 4 eggs and sugar – ( the custard should coat the back of a spoon)
• Keep the custard aside to cool.
• Meanwhile soak the gelatin in pineapple juice for about 10 minutes.
• Warm the juice till the gelatin dissolves.
• Add the dissolved gelatin to the custard mixture .
• Beat the egg whites stiff but not dry.
• Add the cream to the beaten egg whites and whisk well.
• To the custard, add the above egg white mixture and blend well with an electric beater, do not overbeat.
• Strain into a pudding bowl.
• With the help of a spoon add the pineapple bits to the mixture and mix lightly -( keep aside 1/2 a cup for garnish)
• Place the bowl in the fridge to set.
• When set, garnish with reserved pineapple bits and praline and serve.

For the Praline:

• Caramelise a tablespoon of sugar and add a few cashewnuts. Pour the mixture on a greased plate. When cool, crush with the help of a rolling pin.

Chefs tips:

• When making the custard, the milk should be fresh and the mixture  should be stirred continuously to avoid curdling.
• To get a velvety smooth texture, the custard has to be strained to remove any uncooked egg yolk or unbeaten eggwhite.
• Vigourously stirring in the pineapple bits could result in all the pineapple bits settling at the bottom.
• Peaches could be substituted for pineapple. Follow the same recipe.
• This dessert serves 6-8 people.

Till my next post.

Cheers

Rose