Caramelised Pineapple Tart

This delicious tart should be attempted, practiced & perfected. It is an absolute winner & based on the almost mythical invention by the French Tatin sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline in the 1880’s. It isn't particularly difficult but does benefit from a caring touch & mucho practice. This tart is different in that I use pineapple instead of the traditional apple. When choosing your fruit look for low acid varieties like Aussie Gold or Aus Jubilee and please make sure they are ripe (they should smell strongly of pineapple). My other variation is the addition of Sichuan pepper. Sichuan pepper is from the prickly ash tree and therefore is not a true pepper in the conventional Western sense. It has a unique aroma and slight lemony overtones and can create a tingly numbness in the mouth (due to hydroxy-α-sanshool) if you chew on them. I use it to mitigate the sweetness of the dish and add a certain je ne sais quoi (French for yummy).

You can use supermarket pastry but it is so much more delicious using my puff pastry recipe. - see below - It is worth looking for a decent demonstration online but please follow my ingredients. They are slightly different and the recipe originates from the grand master of puff, Alain Passard.

NB: Please be careful turning the tart onto it’s serving platter as the caramel is as forgiving as lava.

NB: Any offcuts of pastry can be used to make cheesy pastry twists

You will need a 30cm non-stick pan and a slightly larger deep serving platter

• 1 large Ripe Pineapple 

• 150g butter, cubed

• 225g castor sugar

• 1 orange, juiced

• 500g puff pastry 

• 1 cup Plain flour for rolling

• I tsp Sichuan pepper 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick.

3. Cut out a rough 40cm circle, place on a tray and refrigerate until required.

4. Remove ends & peel the Pineapple

5. Cut into quarters lengthwise 

6. remove the core & discard

7. cut the pineapple into 1cm slices 

8. Place a heavy pan on a medium-high heat.  

9. Add sugar to the pan and cook until it forms a dark golden caramel.

10. Once caramelised, add orange juice and butter & stir to amalgamate over a low heat

11. add the Sichuan pepper corns (making sure they are evenly distributed)

12. Place the pineapple slices round side down around the outside of the pan, overlapping them until you complete the circle.  Fill the middle, crowding the pieces as much as possible.  

13. Working quickly (as the heat will melt the pastry) place the pastry disc over the top of the fruit, tucking the sides down under the outer row.

14. Prick half a dozen holes in the top of the pastry with a fork

15. Bake for 45-60 minutes until pastry is dark, golden & crisp.  

16. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes

17. Place serving platter on top of the pan.  With one hand on the base of the platter, use the other (and a thick tea towel) to pick up the pan and carefully flip it over. 

18. be very careful of the hot caramel as you flip

19. Lift off the pan.

20. Serve with cultured cream

PUFF PASTRY

• 600 g French (or quality pastry butter) unsalted butter

• 750 g baker’s flour

• 15 g table salt

• 300 g butter, diced and softened

• 200 ml milk

• 200 ml pouring (single/light 35% milk fat) cream

  To make the puff pastry, line a 15 cm (6 in) square mould with plastic wrap. Press the French unsalted butter into the mould and allow to harden in the refrigerator.

  Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the diced, softened butter and mix on low speed until you have a crumb-like texture. Add the milk and cream and mix to combine. Mix for a further 6 minutes. Remove the dough from the mixer, form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

  Remove the moulded butter from the refrigerator. It should remain cold with some plasticity. Flatten the ball of dough slightly. Starting from the centre, roll a portion of the dough upwards to form a ‘petal’. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until there are four petals. Place the moulded butter in the middle of the dough flower and fold each ‘petal’ over the butter like an envelope. It is important for the butter and the dough to be at a similar consistency – this means the dough may need to be refrigerated during the process; likewise the butter.

  Once the butter is covered by the dough, roll it into a 30 × 45 cm (12 × 18 in) rectangle, ensuring the butter does not split out from the dough. Place the dough lengthways in front of you and, starting from the bottom, fold one-third into
  the middle. Then, from the top, fold the top third down to the middle. Turn the dough so the short side is on your left. Roll out again to 30 × 45 cm and repeat the folding process. This is one turn. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Repeat the process of rolling, folding and resting a further five times. The butter should be layered evenly throughout the dough with none breaking through the sides. It is important to work quickly so the dough remains chilled while rolling.

  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll out 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 5 mm (1⁄4 in) thick. Cut out a rough 40 cm (16 in) circle, put it on a tray and refrigerate until required.