Palm-sugar meringue and grilled pineapple with mango passionfruit granita

Name: Palm-sugar meringue and grilled pineapple with mango passionfruit granita
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 130g (about 5) egg whites; pinch of salt; 200g palm sugar, grated; 1/2 pineapple (about 700g); vegetable oil, for brushing pineapple; 250ml pouring cream; 60ml coconut cream

Rodney Dunn

January 24, 2017

Tropical pavlova with barbecued pineapple.William Meppem

Time:2 hours +Serves:5

Palm sugar in a meringue makes it taste eerily like honeycomb. With the grilled pineapple, coconut flavoured cream and a granita of mango, passionfruit and lime, this is a tropical take on pavlova.

Ingredients

130g (about 5) egg whites
pinch of salt
200g palm sugar, grated
1/2 pineapple (about 700g)
vegetable oil, for brushing pineapple
250ml pouring cream
60ml coconut cream

Mango passionfruit granita

2 mangoes (420g), peeled, flesh removed and coarsely chopped
40ml lime juice
200ml sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water, i.e. 1 cup sugar: 1 cup water)
80g passionfruit pulp (about 4 passionfruit)

Method

Step 1
For mango and passionfruit granita, combine mangoes, lime juice and sugar syrup in a blender and puree until smooth. Stir through passionfruit pulp and pour into a shallow freezer-proof tray. Freeze until firm then, using a fork, scrape ice into flakes. Return to the freezer until required.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 150C. Whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer to soft peaks, then, with motor running add grated palm sugar a little at a time, ensuring each addition is well combined before adding the next.
Step 3
Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2-centimetre plain nozzle and pipe onto a baking paper-lined oven tray in six mounds. Place in the oven, reduce temperature to 110C. Bake for one hour, then switch off oven and leave to cool with door closed for two to three hours. Store meringues in an airtight container.
Step 4
Preheat barbecue or char-grill on high heat. Remove skin from pineapple and discard, then cut pineapple lengthways into six wedges, discarding the core. Place lightly oiled pineapple on the grill and cook until char lines appear, about three to four minutes, turn and repeat on the opposite side. Remove from grill and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 5
Whisk together cream and coconut cream to soft peaks. Place a meringue on each plate, dollop over cream, top with grilled piece of pineapple and granita.