It’s amazing what you can do with pineapples. Sweet, tart and with a good bite to it, the fruit long ago transcended the realm of desserts and entered the territory of savory foods — it’s so versatile! It’s also a fruit that evokes sensations of being in the tropics, making it one of summer’s popular staples. Whether you’re already celebrating summer or are in the mood to conjure it up, these three refreshing pineapple dessert recipes are a must-try. If you’re hungry for more, here are more recipes you can try.
Pineapple Tarts
This boozy pineapple dessert is perfect for the summer get-together.
Ingredients
- 250 gm ginger biscuits (coarsely chopped)
- 25 gm almond meal
- 100 gm unsalted butter (melted)
- 500 gm ricotta
- 250 ml thick cream
- 60 gm icing sugar (sifted)
- 55 gm caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lime (finely grated)
- 250 gm mascarpone
- 600 gm pineapple (cored, peeled and cut up into 1 cm chunks)
- 125 ml white rum
Instructions
- In a food processor, add ginger biscuits and almond meal and whiz until they turn into fine crumbs. Then add butter, and blend until well combined.
- Lightly grease your tart tins and line them with baking paper. Taking a little of the biscuit mixture, evenly spread and press around the base and sides of the tins. Let the tins chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk ricotta, cream, vanilla extract, icing sugar and lime zest until they’re well combined. Add mascarpone and whisk until it is just about combined. Chill the mixture until it is ready to serve.
- To create the caramelized pineapple, heat castor sugar and pineapple on high heat. Cook, while stirring occasionally, until you notice the sugar start to caramelize and the pineapple chunks turning a little soft. This should take 5-6 minutes. Add white rum and let it cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Remove the tart bases and spoon the ricotta mixture into it. Top it off with the caramelized pineapple chunks.
- Before serving, drizzle with sugar syrup.
Pineapple Lime Sorbet
Sweet, tangy and with slivers of heat, this pineapple lime sorbet promises to get you through the blistering summer heat.
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp pink peppercorns
- 200 gm caster sugar
- Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 lime
- 1 pineapple (cored and chopped)
- 200 ml pineapple juice
Instructions
- To make the lime syrup, pound peppercorns in a mortar and pestle — it needs to be coarsely ground. Add this to a saucepan with sugar and 100 ml water.
- On medium heat, cook and stir the mixture for 2 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add lime zest and juice, stir and set it aside to cool completely.
- Blend pineapple and pineapple juice in a mixer until smooth. Strain the lime syrup into this mixture and blend again. Reserve the peppercorns and lime zest from the sieve.
- Transfer the pineapple mixture to an ice cream maker and churn.
- Pour the mixture into a container, cover and freeze for six hours.
- Scoop the sorbet into dessert bowls and serve with a garnishing of the reserved peppercorns and lime zest.
Here are a few tips on how you can master making sorbet at home.
Pineapple and Coconut Crumble
The dynamic summer duo — coconut and pineapple — come together in this heartening pineapple dessert recipe.
Ingredients
- 80 gm butter (unsalted)
- 1 pineapple (peeled, cored, and cut into 2 cm chunks)
- 130 gm brown sugar
- 180 ml coconut cream
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (bruised)
- Zest of 1 lime (finely grated)
- Shaved coconut (for garnish)
For the coconut crumble:
- 110 gm plain flour
- 80 gm brown sugar
- 50 gm cashews (roughly chopped)
- 2½ tbsp shredded coconut
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 80 gm lightly salted butter (chilled and cut into 5 mm pieces)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a large baking tray and line it with baking paper.
- For the crumble, add flour, brown sugar, coconut, cardamom and cashews in a large bowl. Give it a quick mix. Then add butter, and using your fingertips, rub the mixture together to create coarse crumbs.
- Spread the mixture onto the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until it turns golden brown. While it bakes, stir occasionally. Once baked, set the tray aside to cool completely.
- In a large, deep frying pan, heat butter for 1-2 minutes until it starts to brown. Add the pineapple chunks and mix, making sure that all the pieces are coated in butter. Then add the sugar and cook for 4-5 minutes until it has dissolved and the mixture starts bubbling.
- Now, add coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves and lime zest. Mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the pineapple has turned tender.
- Transfer the pineapple mixture into a large dish and top it off with the crumble. Garnish with shaved coconut.
- Your fruit dessert is ready to be served.