Instructions
The problem may have all started with the fact that I didn’t really eat pineapple as a kid. Occasionally mum would open a can of diced pineapple pieces for a hummingbird cake that otherwise failed to leave a lasting impression. Hardly the basis for a strong relationship between man and fruit.
Years later the drama unfolded. I was working in one of Sydney best restaurants when I decided to create a special tropical dessert medley that included a pineapple jelly.
Sounds great, huh? Little did I know how wrong I was.
Pineapple contains a naturally-occurring enzyme that breaks down gelatine. With just minutes to go before dinner service I plated up a sample of the dessert special for the waiters to try. My coconut dacquoise and mango parfait were left swimming in a pool of slightly sticky pineapple soup, and I was left with the embarrassing prospect of having to call off my dessert special.
With more crook than hook I managed to convince the maitre d’ that I had said ‘custard apple’, not ‘pineapple’ and very quickly set one of my chefs to the task of making a new jelly. Thankfully he had it done with moments to spare.
The pineapple originated in Brazil as the fruit of a flowering bromeliad. It is usually pollinated in the wild by the hummingbird, hence the famous cake.
To determine ripeness, smell the base of the fruit. A pineapple cannot hide from its perfume.
Oh, and for those with a mathematical bent, the order of a pineapple’s structural cells (like pine cones and sunflowers) is one of nature’s examples of a perfect Fibonacci sequence. A fruit that adds up to delicious taste!
Pineapple tarte tatin with Greek yoghurt and vanilla