PINEAPPLE-FENNEL PARFAIT

by chef Harald Bresselschmidt of Aubergine

Serves 12

ingredients
caramelized pineapple

  • 1 fresh pineapple cut into 3cm cubes
  • 45ml bourbon
  • 200g brown sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • pinch salt

coconut cream

  • 500g coconut cream
  • 50g castor sugar
  • 3g salt
  • 4g agar agar

fennel parfait

  • 50g castor sugar
  • 25ml water
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ¼t orange zest
  • ¼t ground fennel seeds
  • 1t Triple Sec
  • 188g cream, whipped to stiff peaks
  • 150g shredded coconut, toasted

streusel garnish

  • 90g cake flour
  • 70g brown sugar
  • ½ vanilla pod
  • 65g butter, cubed
  • 15g flaked almonds, toasted (or nuts of your choice)

almond tuiles garnish

  • 40g butter
  • 100g castor sugar
  • 25g flour
  • 40g orange juice
  • 50g flaked almond

method
caramelized pineapple

  1. Place all ingredients into a saucepan and cook for 6 minutes on a low heat.

coconut cream

  1. Bring all ingredients to the boil.
  2. Stir until agar agar is cooked. Set in the freezer.
  3. Blitz in blender until gel-like consistency.

fennel parfait

  1. Bring castor sugar and water to boil.
  2. Whisk egg and yolks with sugar syrup over a slow boiling bain-marie for 5 minutes until eggs are colligated.
  3. Place on ice and keep whisking until cold.
  4. Add zest, fennel and Triple Sec. Fold the whipped cream into the mixture and then pour into half-sphere moulds (roughly golf ball size).
  5. Set in freezer and place two halves together to make a ball, roll in the coconut.

streusel garnish

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. Combine the flour, sugar, vanilla pod and almonds into the bowl of the Kitchen Aid or similar mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix at a lower speed.
  3. Slowly add the soft cubes of butter one by one until a fine loose texture is achieved.
  4. Spread out the streusel mixture on an oven tray forming crumbs and bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

almond tuiles garnish

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Melt butter in a bowl and then mix all ingredients together.
  3. Spoon ¼ teaspoons of mixture onto a silicon baking mat, leaving approximately 5cm spaces between each.
  4. Place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, checking when mixture has flattened out into circles and lightly browned.
  5. Remove and drape each circle over a cylindrical tube approximately 3cm in diameter and leave to cool.

plating

  1. Sprinkle streusel on serving plates and arrange parfait and caramelised pineapple.
  2. Top with almond tuiles.
  1. Chefs’ tip: One can add marinated gooseberries tossed in a simple orange juice sauce as an extra garnish.
print