Pine-apple à la Créole

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep 5-quart (4.7-liter) nonreactive saucepan or narrow pot
• •Heavy 2-quart (1.9-liter) saucepan
• •Smooth 1.5-liter (6-cup) metal dome mould or stainless-steel bowl
• •Fine-mesh sieve and wide slotted spatula
• •Round serving platter at least 12 inches (30 cm) across

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the pineapple

   Combine the water and poaching sugar in a deep, narrow nonreactive pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the kirsch. Lower in the whole peeled pineapple and cover the surface with a cartouche, a round of parchment resting directly on the syrup. Simmer very gently for 25 to 30 minutes, turning the fruit every 5 minutes, until a skewer enters the thickest flesh with slight resistance. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in 1/4 cup (60 ml) more kirsch, and leave the pineapple in its syrup for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) kirsch for the apricot syrup.

   The pineapple must soften without collapsing. A hard boil makes its outer flesh woolly before the centre cooks, so keep the syrup at a quiet tremble.
2. 2

   Cook the vanilla rice

   While the pineapple cools, scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and add the pod and salt. Bring the milk to a bare simmer in a heavy saucepan, stir in the rice, and lower the heat. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring frequently across the pot floor, until the grains are completely tender and the milk has nearly disappeared. Stir in the rice sugar and butter, then cook for another 5 to 8 minutes. The rice must mound on the spoon and leave a furrow when stirred; if it flows back like loose pudding, cook it a few minutes longer. Ça se rattrape. If the milk catches, do not scrape the scorched floor. Transfer the clean upper rice to another pan and continue over gentler heat. Remove the vanilla pod, cover the surface, and cool until barely warm and pliable.

3. 3

   Slice and line

   Lift the pineapple from its syrup and drain it for 10 minutes, reserving every drop of syrup. Cut the fruit vertically in half, then cut each half vertically into thin, regular slices about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, exactly as the dish requires. Trim away the tough pieces of core and any ragged edges, reserving those sound trimmings for the centre. Pat the slices until they no longer drip. Line a chilled 1.5-liter smooth metal bowl, beginning at its deepest point and radiating the slices toward the rim with their best sides against the metal. Overlap every slice by about 1/2 inch (1 cm). There must not be a single gap; if a slice tears, cover the tear with a smaller piece before proceeding.

   Hold the lined bowl toward a window. If light shows through anywhere, patch it. The continuous pineapple skin is the structure that lets the dome turn out whole.
4. 4

   Poach the centre fruit

   Dice the reserved pineapple trimmings into pieces about 1/2 inch (1 cm) across. Bring 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of the reserved pineapple syrup to a bare simmer. Add the pineapple dice and cook for 2 minutes, then add the prepared custard apple and one diced banana. Poach for only 45 seconds, just long enough to glaze the fruit without dissolving it. Lift everything into a fine-mesh sieve and spread it on a plate to cool and drain. Keep the syrup. If the fruit has softened more than intended, do not stir it further; chill it flat and spoon it gently into the centre. It will still serve perfectly.

5. 5

   Pack the dome

   Spoon the barely warm vanilla rice into the pineapple-lined bowl and press it gently against the slices with the dampened back of a spoon, building an even layer about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Leave a deep hollow in the middle. Fill that hollow with the thoroughly drained diced fruit, stopping 3/4 inch (2 cm) below the rim, then cover it completely with the remaining rice. Press firmly enough to remove air pockets but not so hard that the pineapple lining slides. If a slice creeps out of place, lift back the rice, reset the slice, and patch the seam before continuing. Smooth the rice level with the rim.

6. 6

   Chill until firm

   Cover the rice directly with parchment or reusable wrap and set the bowl level in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours; 6 hours or overnight gives the cleanest turn. The cold firms the rice starch and marries it to the pineapple lining. Do not freeze the mould, because frozen fruit releases water as it thaws and weakens the very seams you worked to build.

7. 7

   Poach the banana border

   About 30 minutes before serving, return 2 cups (480 ml) of the reserved syrup to a bare simmer. Split the remaining three bananas lengthwise and lower them into the syrup in batches. Poach for about 45 seconds on each side, handling them with a wide spatula so they retain their curves. Drain on a rack or plate and cool. If one splits, arrange its pieces as shorter arcs at the back of the dome; the border will still look generous.

8. 8

   Finish the apricot syrup

   Whisk the apricot preserves with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the pineapple syrup and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly, then cool it to room temperature and stir in the reserved 2 tablespoons (30 ml) kirsch. The finished syrup should be nappant, lightly coating a spoon while still pouring freely. If it is too thick, loosen it with reserved syrup one spoonful at a time; if thin, reduce it before adding the kirsch.

9. 9

   Turn out and serve

   Chill a round serving platter, then uncover the mould and loosen only the rice at the rim with the tip of a thin knife. Invert the platter over the bowl and turn them together. Wrap the outside of the bowl with a warm, damp towel for 10 seconds and wait for the dome to release. If it holds, keep it inverted and repeat with the towel; do not shake it. Ça se rattrape. Arrange the poached banana halves in overlapping curves around the base, place the broad candied angelica leaves on top, and serve the apricot-kirsch syrup separately. À table!

   A clean turn depends on patience, not force. A second brief application of the warm towel is safer than running a knife down the pineapple-lined sides.

Chef Tips

• •Choose a pineapple that smells fragrant at the base but still feels firm. An overripe one turns ragged in the syrup and cannot be cut into the thin, regular panels the mould requires. Canned pineapple is honest in many desserts, but not here; it cannot supply the long vertical slices.
• •Kirsch is a dry cherry eau-de-vie, not a sweet red cherry liqueur. The dry spirit keeps the syrup clear and gives fragrance without turning the dessert sugary or pink.
• •Custard apple is a family name. Cherimoya or sugar apple is the practical market choice, provided the flesh is firm-ripe and every dark seed is removed. An ordinary apple is not its cousin in texture or flavour.
• •Use riz rond or another starchy short-grain rice. Long-grain rice stays separate and cannot form the close, tender shell that supports the fruit centre.
• •Candied angelica is generally sold as green stalk rather than whole leaves. Slice the stalk lengthwise and trim it into two broad leaf shapes; that preserves the source's colour and herbal finish without inventing another garnish.
• •Serve the dome cool but not numbing cold. Fifteen minutes out of the refrigerator lets the vanilla, kirsch, and pineapple speak clearly while the rice remains firm enough to slice.

Advance Preparation

• •The pineapple can be poached up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in its syrup. Bring it back toward cool room temperature before slicing so the flesh bends without cracking.
• •The complete dome is best assembled the evening before serving and chilled overnight. Keep it in the mould until no more than 30 minutes before dessert.
• •The apricot-kirsch syrup can be prepared 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it return to room temperature and adjust its flow with a spoonful of reserved syrup if needed.
• •Poach the banana border no more than 1 hour before serving. Leftovers should be covered, refrigerated promptly, and eaten within 24 hours; the rice keeps, but the cut tropical fruit loses its clean texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)