From Daniel Galmiche’s Revolutionary French Cooking.
Revolutionise your Tarte Tatin! One of the sweetest fruits – and a particular favourite of mine – is the pineapple. This exotic fruit tastes wonderful cooked in a tarte tatin in place of the traditional apples and, of course, it needs less added sugar. The confident aroma and lusciousness of the pineapple pairs remarkably well with stronger spices and flavourings, and in this recipe I have contrasted it with fragrant lemongrass and a hint of chilli. You may be surprised by how successfully these two spices marry with the fruit – and with the buttery flavour of the pastry – to make a truly superb dessert. If you like, you can serve it with a scoop of coconut ice cream or sorbet.
Pineapple, Chilli & Lemongrass Tarte Tatin
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes. plus 30 minutes chilling time and resting time
Cooking time: 1 hour
220g/7¾oz ready-made puff pastry, defrosted if frozen
plain flour, for dusting
80g/2¾oz/⅓ cup caster sugar
1.2kg/2lb 10oz pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into large wedges
40g/1½oz unsalted butter
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, plus ½ red chilli in strips, to serve (optional)
½ lemongrass stalk, bruised and halved lengthways
1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, then cut out a circle slightly larger than a 20cm/8in tatin pan or flameproof baking dish. Roll the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to a baking sheet, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to prevent the pastry shrinking during baking.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Melt the sugar gently in the tatin pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Add the pineapple and cook for 6–8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pineapple to a plate and leave
to rest for 5–8 minutes to release the juice.
3. Stir the butter into the sugar in the pan. Sprinkle one-third of the chopped chilli over the pan. Put the pineapple wedges tightly around the edge of the pan in a circle, then make smaller circles of tightly fitting pineapple within this circle until the base is covered and all the pineapple is used. Put the lemongrass on top of the pineapple, add the strips of chilli, if you like, and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and sprinkle another one-third of the chilli over the pineapple. Put the pastry on top, pushing the edges into the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
5. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Put an upside-down plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top of the tart and, holding both the plate and pan, turn the pan over to transfer the tart to the plate. Sprinkle with the remaining chilli, if you like. Serve warm, removing the lemongrass and chilli strips before cutting into portions.
£19.99
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