Ah, the Pineapple Zappo – pure pineapple flavour in a chewy lolly. We pay homage with creamy tarts crowned with pineapple rings and sour pineapple sorbet.
Ingredients
Sour pineapple sorbet
Sweet pastry
Method
1.For pineapple sorbet, process pineapple in a food processor until smooth, then strain through a sieve into a bowl. Add lemon juice and sugar. Melt glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add to pineapple mixture, whisking to combine. Churn in an ice-cream machine, transfer to a container and freeze until required.
2.Meanwhile, for sweet pastry, beat butter in an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt and mix to combine, then add egg and stir to combine. Divide pastry into 8 pieces and roll into balls, then roll each between two small squares of baking paper to 3mm-thick rounds (about 13cm diameter) and refrigerate between paper for 1 hour to rest. Bring to room temperature, line eight 9.5cm-diameter tartlet tins and place on an oven tray. Trim excess pastry and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to rest.
3.Preheat oven to 160°C. Blind-bake tart cases until edges begin to turn golden, then remove paper and weights, and bake until just set (5 minutes). Brush tarts with beaten eggwhite to seal.
4.Meanwhile, place pineapple slices on an oven tray lined with baking paper and scatter with 130gm sugar. Bake until tender (15-20 minutes), then cool.
5.Reduce oven temperature to 120°C. Whisk cream, milk, yolks, vanilla seeds and remaining sugar in a large bowl to combine, then strain through a fine sieve and skim off any froth. Pour into tart shells and bake until just set (30-40 minutes). Leave tarts in tins to cool to room temperature, then carefully remove from tins and place a pineapple slice on top of each. Top with pineapple sorbet and serve. Tarts are best eaten the day they’re made.
To blind bake, line a pastry-lined tart tin with baking paper, then fill it with weights (ceramic weights, rice and dried beans work best).
Notes