This recipe might seem complicated because it has many steps, but those are easy steps, and it’s a fast recipe too. Last time I was in Nancy, France I had lunch at this new restaurant close to Place Stanislas where I was served this  amazing pineapple dessert. How gorgeous is that? Ever since I wanted to use pineapple in a light dessert. This dessert of mine has nothing in common, other than the pineapple…but it proves that the diversity of desserts you can create using pineapple is infinite.

I used express polenta, as it’s very convenient, it will save you time when you are in a hurry. The highlight of this dish not being polenta, I thought to use express polenta. I would not use it when I make traditional Italian polenta savory dishes but in this case, it’s a nice option.

If using dairy, I would use whole milk and add a little heavy cream for extra texture.

Ingredients

For the polenta cakes

• 1 cup almond milk or any other milk of your choice
• 1/2 cup express polenta
• honey or sweetener of your choice
• vanilla bean, cut in half and beans scraped
• 2 tsp raisins
• 2 tbs rum

For the braised pineapple

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 pineapple
• light agave nectar
• orange juice
• 2 tbs rum

For the pineapple tartare

• 1/2 pineapple
• 2 tbs mint, finely chopped
• 1 lime (zest and juice)
• ginger (optional)
• light agave nectar to taste

For the pineapple coulis

• 1 cup pineapple
• agave nectar to taste
• vanilla extract to taste

Instructions

For the polenta cakes

Bring milk to a boil with vanilla beans scarped and sweetener. Pour polenta gradually and keep stirring for a few minutes. If the polenta is too thick add milk (it needs to be a thick consistency). Remove from heat and add rum and raisins. Using a wooden board or flat surface pour the polenta and spread evenly into a 1.5 com thick layer. Let it cool. When completely cold, using a cutter, cut into 2 inches squares.

For the braised pineapple

Take pineapple and cut top and bottom so that the pineapple stays vertically flat. Using a sharp knife cut the skin from top to bottom all around the pineapple. Slice pineapple from top to bottom to obtain 5 mm thick slices and about 4.5 inches wide. (The first slices will be narrow so use them for the tartare part). Keep the wider slices for braising. Using the same cutter used to cut polenta, cut pineapple into squares (or circles if used a round cutter).

Melt coconut oil in a pan. When melted add pineapple slices and at high heat cook them until slightly golden brown on both sides. Add agave nectar. Add orange juice and let it reduce. Add rum and flame. Let it reduce a little more. Keep warm.

For the pineapple tartare

Using the pineapple saved when making slices, dice in small 5mm. Add all other ingredients and refrigerate.

For the pineapple coulis

Using a blender, mix all ingredients and filter through a sieve to obtain a smooth coulis

To serve: place two polenta squares on a plate. Place braised pineapple on top of each polenta square. Add 1 tsp of pineapple tartare on top and pour some coulis around. Decorate with lime zests.

That is one is now one of my new favorite desserts. I have a few favorite desserts despite my non sweet tooth, and this one certainly is on the list.

I was skeptical before starting this recipe, I thought the quinoa flavor would be too strong and overwhelming and not starchy enough, that this would not work as well as rice. I was wrong. I used regular milk but any other non dairy milk such as almond milk would be an alternative if you want to make it dairy free. I like to serve it with a fresh fruit salad and it’s the perfect light dessert, I would call it the guilt free dessert.

This is a quick little dessert to make, it cooks in 20 minutes, then you need to let it cool and it’s ready.

The pineapple salsa is cut in small little cubes and marinated in mint and agave nectar, nothing extravagant but perfect match with the subtle rum flavor you get while biting in the raisins.

Ingredients for 3-4

For the quinoa

• 7 oz (or 200 g) quinoa
• 1.7 cups (or 40 cl) milk
• 1.4 oz (or 40 g) sugar
• vanilla bean cut in 2
• golden raisins 3 tbs
• rum (enough to soak the raisins in)

For the pineapple salsa

• 3 slices of fresh pineapple, cut in small even cubes (about 6mm)
• 1 tbs mint, finely chopped
• agave nectar (to your liking)

Preparation

Rinse quinoa under running water, then place in a pot with the milk and vanilla beans scraped and simmer. Add sugar and let cook until the milk had been absorbed. In the meantime, soak raisins in rum until they turn soft and plumpy for about 30 minutes. Add raisins when quinoa is cooked. Stir well and let it cool, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

For the pineapple salsa, mix all the ingredients and refrigerate.

Serve cream of quinoa with pineapple salsa.

These last couple of days have been a little on the chaotic side, driving to one side of town to see my doctor, then rushing to the other part of town for a court appearance for a ticket that I thought was so unjustified. It seems like the city of San Francisco needs money, and the police is distributing tickets left and right. I will not contest a ticket for something I did wrong but when it’s not justified, I feel I need to explain myself. Maybe the libra in me who is always looking for justice and balance. Anyway I had never been to court before and that was a strange experience. We were greeted by a Police officer who instructed us to be silent or we would been thrown out of the room. That type of order and authority petrifies me, so I was sitting still without even moving a finger and barely blinking.

Basically after my entertaining day in court, I had very little time to do anything…

I’ve had a pineapple and a whole coconut sitting in the kitchen, screaming for attention…I love those two they’re inseparable, so having a stock of Greek yogurt in addition to this, there was no other option that using everything in a traditional French yogurt cake. The base of the cake had been modified quite a bit, adding chestnut flour (which is one of my favorites flour for baking, it has a delightful sweet nutty flavor). Yogurt cake is to the French as maybe cupcake is to Americans…we learn how to bake it while in school as early as 10 years old. This recipe is not a traditional gâteau au yaourt, It’s been twisted around and is more of a cousin, I have a traditional recipe for gâteau au yaourt here.

I made a pineapple sauce with coconut to be served chilled on the side and complement these little cakes very well, so if you like pineapple, you will love those ones. The yogurt makes the cake very moist and gives that particular lactic after taste that I love.

Ingredients for about 14 individual cakes (or one large)

• 3 eggs
• 6.34 oz (or 180 g) sugar
• 7 oz (or 200 g, or about 4 large tsp) Fage Greek yogurt
• 4 tbs coconut oil melted
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tsp chestnut flour
• 3.5 oz (or 100 g) fresh coconut, grated
• 1/2 fresh pineapple (1/4 diced and 1/4 crushed)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the pineapple-coconut sauce

• 1/4 pineapple
• 3 tbs coconut milk
• 1 tsp rum
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Preparation

For the cakes

In a mixing container, beat eggs with sugar. Add yogurt, keep mixing, then add oil.

Add flours and mix well to obtain a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda.

Add coconut and diced pineapple carefully blending everything together.

Pour batter in individual molds and cook in a pre-heated oven at 365-379F for about 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Let it cool and remove from molds, preferably silicon molds.

For the sauce

Blend all ingredients in a mixer and refrigerate.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/05/for-pineapple-lovers-coconut-pineapple-yogurt-bouchees-with-pineapple-rum-compote/feed/ 32 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/tart-for-those-who-dont-like-desserts-tart-brioche-with-coconut-fromage-blanc-and-pineapple-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tart-for-those-who-dont-like-desserts-tart-brioche-with-coconut-fromage-blanc-and-pineapple-2 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/tart-for-those-who-dont-like-desserts-tart-brioche-with-coconut-fromage-blanc-and-pineapple-2/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:38:54 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=10161 La tarte pour ceux qui n’aiment pas les desserts – Tarte briochée à la noix de coco, fromage blanc et ananas

My good friend Ute came for dinner, she is German, I am Franco-Italian and we have exactly the same tastes, likes and dislikes as far as food and cuisine is concerned. We love the same flavors and dishes so it’s really a pleasure to cook for her, I don’t have to think for days about the menu. We both don’t like sweets too much but agree that a meal needs to end by a dessert, so I had to come up with something that would be filed in the dessert category without being too sweet.

When planning a dinner for picky people which becomes more of a headache than a real pleasure, it’s a sign that your guests are food un-educated, which is not the case for Ute and she is definitely my favorite guest to have around. Voilà, j’ai trouvé mon dessert! et en plus c’est léger!

Originally were supposed to try a new restaurant called George known for its seafood specialty dishes, then the rain started to pour and even though je ne suis pas en sucre as we say in French (I am not made out of sugar therefore will not melt), we decided to not go out…because after all I might melt, well the mascara will since the wind broke all my umbrellas.

For those who are not much of a sweet tooth and who like light desserts, this one is really for them. I loved it even better the day after while it was chilled. No heavy frosting, not a lot of sugar, just natural, fresh flavors due to the fresh pineapple and coconut milk.

I love to use fromage blanc in this dessert, but hard to find in the US, so I mainly substitute Fage Greek yogurt in any recipe requiring fromage blanc, either the 2% or the regular and it works perfectly. I used brioche as the “crust” instead of a regular pâte brisée or pate sucrée which resulted in a moist and semi-soft texture crust which also absorbed the coconut/fromage blanc mixture. You can serve it with some vanilla ice cream if you want, but I kept it “light”.

You can use individual deep molds or a large one, I prefer individual portions, it feel like everyone gets a whole full dessert and is a controlled portion.

Ingredients for 6

• 6 slices of brioche (or enough to cover one large dish)
• 250 ml coconut milk
• 400 g Fage Greek yogurt
• 60 g sugar
• 60 g coconut, shredded
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs golden raisins (soaked in rum)
• 6 slices pineapple (core removed)

Preparation

Cover the bottom of the molds with brioche ensuring there is no space in between each slice of brioche.

In a pan, heat coconut milk and reduce a little. Remove from heat, add fromage blanc, egg and sugar. Mix well. Add coconut flakes. Mix all ingredients to obtain a smooth texture.

Pour on top of brioche. Add pineapple slices and sprinkle with raisins.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 30-40 minutes, until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Eat at room temperature or chilled.

I have been on a strange coconut cravings lately, coconut and more coconut, if it was not as high in calories, I would eat it all day long and that goes the same for panna cotta which I absolutely adore. Vado pazza per la panna cotta! I realized that I do like desserts, as long as they’re fruit based. Maybe technically this cannot be called panna cotta, because it’s predominantly made with coconut milk, and a little cream, quindi la panna non c’è (there is not really panna).

Traditional panna cotta is delicious, but this one can be quite a pleasant surprise for your palate, as it’s lightly sweetened and creamy. I have been thinking and thinking and me creuser les méninges (litterally meaning to dig your meninges) to find a light dessert combining coconut and pineapple, and this one popped into my mind. Lately I have decided I will develop great recipes for entertaining which do not require the “host” to stay in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun next door. I do not like food that has been prepared too long in advance and re-heated at the time of serving. For some dishes, it could work, but for some others it doesn’t and taste like “réchauffé” (not only it means re-heated but also old and re-heated, with that unfresh after taste).

Pineapple has been crushed raw into a purée with an immersion blender, which is perfect for this kind of job. You get a perfect texture and do not need extra liquid. I used agar agar instead of regular gelatin sheets in the panna cotta since it’s a seaweed based gelatin and 100% natural and vegan. Agar agar has been used in Japan since centuries. It’s usually used to the proportions of 4 grams per 1 liter of liquid and needs to be dissolved in a small amount of cold liquid before adding it to the hot mixture.

This panna cotta is not too sweet, very light and so refreshing, so just THE little final note to a beautiful meal.

Ingredients for 4

For the panna cotta

• 10.14 fl oz (or 300 ml) coconut milk
• 3.38 fl oz (or 100 ml) milk
• 3.38 fl oz (or 100 ml) heavy cream
• 4 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp agar agar (or the equivalent of 2 grams)

For the pineapple soup

• 1/2 pineapple
• 3 tbs agava nectar
• 2 tbs rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ground vanilla beans powder
• 1 tbs mint, chopped

Preparation

In a pot, bring to a light boil milk, cream and coconut milk, add agar agar dissolved in a little milk, and let it cook stirring for a few minutes, then remove from heat. Add sugar and stir to get it dissolved.

Place in small ramequins, let it cool and refrigerate until it solidifies (at least a few hours).

For the pineapple purée, mix all ingredients together (except for the mint) and using an immersion blender, mix until it turns into a thick purée. Cut mint very finely and add to the purée. Refrigerate for about one hour.

Remove panna cotta from ramequins and spoon some pineapple purée all around.

I adore filo dough but never use it. Do you believe it? I can drool over appetizers and desserts made with filo dough but when it’s time to buy it, I always forget or buy something else. So people would say, then you just don’t adore it. It’s like saying I adore this friend but I never call her, then you don’t love her that much. In French we use the word adore quite often and is not as strong as its equivalent in English. It’s used as Americans would use “I love”. J’adore la nutella!!

It’s a shame not to use filo dough more often because it’s lighter than its cousin “Puff Pastry”. It has a very delicate crispy texture, and makes beautiful sweet and savory dishes. One sheet has 30 calories and I used about one sheet per crisp if you want to keep completely light, you can just omit the mascarpone cream, but I would not recommend it, it completes the crisp to perfection.

The particularity of this filo dough is that it’s wholewheat, so basically, you’ll get a light dessert, extremely tasty, warm and crispy that will satisfy any sweet cravings. My other “secret” ingredient is vanilla powder, which I adore, oui j’adore la poudre de vanille!!!! I almost use it in all my desserts. It’s vanilla bean ground that is perfect to replace the actual vanilla bean.

The combination of mango and banana’s textures complete one another, also pineapple adds a little extra exotic touch to the crisp. You need to select fruits that are not too ripe, or in the sauté process, especially the banana and mangoes will get mushy.

You can serve it warm at room temperature or lukewarm, then you need to serve it immediately or the cream will start melting.

Ingredients for 3 crisps

• 1/4 pineapple, cut in small sliced (1 inch size)
• 1 mango, peeled and cut in small slices (1 inch size)
• 1 banana, sliced
• 3 whole wheat filo dough sheets, cut in 6 squares
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs mascarpone
• 2.7 fl oz (or 80 ml) heavy cream
• vanilla powder
• 1 tsp powder sugar
• 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp melted for the filo dough

Preparation

Cut all the fruits, add sugar and saute in butter for about 5-7 minutes. remove from the pan.

Using a brush, apply melted butter in one filo dough sheet, then cut dough in 6 identical squares.

Place the 6 squares in a ramequin or small muffin trays (then insted of 3 crisp, you’ll make 6 due to the smaller size of the muffin trays). Divide fruits in each ramequin and cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 15-20 minutes or until the filo dough is golden brown.

remove from the oven and let it cool.

Whip heavy cream and add powder sugar at the end, add mascarpone and keep beating a little more. Add vanilla bean powder.

Serve each crisp with one tsp of mascarpone cream on top.

I had this dessert at the Brasserie Lutèce in Paris after a huge plateau de fruits de mer (seafood platter), the carpaccio was served with a pineapple sorbet, and it was the perfect sweet touch to that wonderful dinner. I always kept it in the corner of my head, but there are so many things to try, experiment, that one year went by and I still haven’t made this carpaccio. I just didn’t want this to be left out. Now I have no idea how they made it, all I know is that it tasted like mint and rum. It is a simple way to serve pineapple but simplicity is sometimes worth a complicated and heavy dessert.

Of course, when I like a dish in a restaurant, I try to reproduce it from memory since I am not going to ask the chef for its recipe, I am wondering if they’ll think that is daring or if they’ll be pleased without disclosing the recipe. With time passing by, memory can play some tricks. Pineapple and rum are a match from heaven almost like banana and chocolate.

You need a well ripe pineapple and a great knife. The pineapple slices needs to be cut very thinly. Mine were sliced a little too thick for my taste. It has nothing to do with my knife but more so with my poor slicing skills. The slices are marinated in a light syrup infused with vanilla bean, mint and rum.

I did not remove the core of the pineapple, because I somehow like it. I like it’s fibrous texture. When thinly sliced, you won’t really notice its hard and fibrous texture, the slices are too thin.

For 3-4 people

• 1 large well ripe pineapple, very thinly sliced
• 2 tbs mint, finely chopped
• 1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise
• 2 tbs dark rum
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Preparation

Peel pineapple from top to bottom removing its skin. Cut pineapple crosswise in very thin slices and set aside.

In a pot, dissolve sugar with water and heat it up a low temperature, add vanilla bean and scrape beans. Let it infuse and boil for a little while until it infuses. When the syrup has reduced, let it cool. Add rum and mint.

Pour on top of pineapple and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve in cold plates with some coconut cookies or a slice of brioche.

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