Sunday 22 January 2012

Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Meringue and Cointreau Cream

January is always a tricky month. It’s that after Christmas feeling, the broken new year resolutions, the rain and the freezing cold, the return to work and school. Citrus bakes seem to dominate the blogosphere at the beginning of the year as people use fresh flavours and bright colours to forget about the grey outside. The vitamins and zing of fruit desserts also fit into the spirit of January detox that some crazy people undertake. Today I stuck with the fruit theme, but used tropical pineapple to transport me away from the London grey to a Caribbean island beach far away._DSC0866This dish really did transport me far far away. The meringue was delicious with a marshamallowy centre and packed full of coconut flavour. The pineapple was sticky and caramelised, strongly spiced with cinnamon and mixed spice. The spices also added some warmth to the dish, which works really well for this time of year. The Cointreau cream added more tropical flavour and toned down the bite of the spice in the pineapple. The black sesame seeds added unexpected nutty crunch and contrasted with the colours of the rest of the dish. Perfect!_DSC0861The dish was also really easy to make, so I think it would make a really pretty summer dinner party dessert. I made the meringue and the pineapple the day before, then whipped the cream and assembled the meringue right before eating. I halved the recipe so it was just a two-egg white meringue (it worked perfectly) that made four meringues, but I kept the full quantities of pineapple and cream. I loved the roasted pineapple and that alone with its sweet caramel spiced sauce would be a gorgeous breakfast treat once the meringues are finished. If you’re feeling a January low, or even if not, I would truly recommend this sunny sweet dessert – find the recipe here. Trust me, it will make you smile. Enjoy :) _DSC0862

9 comments:

Jo said...

What an exotic dessert! Coconut meringue sounds absolutely delicious. I always shy away from making meringues, I should really change that!

Nisrine said...

This is simply sublime, my dear. I wish I lived close by.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What beautiful pavlovas! They look really delicious. A divine flavor combination.

Cheers,

Rosa

Dewi said...

I love any meringue dessert. Never made it with roasted pineapple before, but, that just sounds superb!

Kezia said...

That looks amazing - I've never thought of putting pineapple with meringue! You have inspired me!

The Caked Crusader said...

what an elegant, flavoursome looking dessert - divine!

Ash said...

Oh my this looks dreamy!! All my favorite things combined in one!!

the dainty baker said...

Lucy, this looks amazing!! love the combo of a coconut meringue and spiced pineapple. Nice work

Lynne Daley said...

All my favorite flavors rolled into one beautiful pavlova! Your family must love to have you bake such delights for them. The banana breakfast muffins look amazing, too!