BRÛLÉED PINEAPPLE with SPICED PANKO, BERRIES, and MERINGUE

I served this dish at the opening dinner of a plant-based Seed Food and Wine Festival in Miami. It was a hit. It’s a bit cheffy, but if you like beautiful composed plates of flavor and texture, dive right in. I use plant-based meringue to make both a crispy raspberry “paper” and creamy pineapple dollops, all nestled between fresh pineapple caramelized in hot buttered rum. Spiced panko brings even more crunch to the plate—credit for the panko goes to our boy Hiram Camillo, one of our ninja chef friends. If you’re hosting a wicked sexy dinner party, here’s your spot-on dessert course. —CHAD

SERVES 4 TO 6

SPICED PANKO

1½ teaspoons everyday olive oil

1 cup panko bread crumbs

½ teaspoon pure vanilla powder (see Pro Tips, here) or scraped vanilla seeds

½ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons agave syrup

BERRY PAPER AND PINEAPPLE MERINGUE

1 recipe Plant-Based Meringue (here)

½ cup freeze-dried berries

½ cup freeze-dried pineapple (see Pro Tips, here)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla powder (see Pro Tips, here) or scraped vanilla seeds

PINEAPPLE BRÛLÉE AND ASSEMBLY

1 ripe pineapple

2 tablespoons plant-based butter

¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar

2½ tablespoons dark rum

Splash of water

¾ cup small fresh berries

FOR THE PANKO: Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the panko and toast until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan now and then for even cooking. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and cayenne. Drizzle in the agave and stir/toss/shake until evenly distributed and the panko is golden. Remove from the heat and set aside. You can make this panko hours ahead of time and leave it at room temperature. Or seal it and store at room temperature for a week or two.

FOR THE BERRY PAPER: Preheat the oven to 200ºF.

Near the end of making the meringue, after whipping in all of the sugar, remove half of the meringue and reserve for the pineapple meringue.

Buzz the freeze-dried berries in a small food processor or clean coffee grinder to a fine powder, then measure out 1/3 cup. Whip the 1/3 cup berry powder into the remaining meringue in the mixer bowl until fully incorporated.

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, using a small dollop of meringue under each corner to hold down the parchment.

Use an offset spatula to spread the berry meringue in an even layer over the parchment in each pan. Make the layer no thicker than ¼ inch.

Bake the meringue until firm to the touch, about 1¼ hours, rotating the pans once or twice for even cooking.

Let the berry paper cool completely in the pans. When cooled, break the meringue into shards and seal in an airtight container. It’s crucial to store these meringues in an airtight container. Room temperature is fine, but any humidity will turn them from crisp to sticky almost immediately. Stored in a cool, dry place, they’ll keep for weeks. In a hot and humid place, they’ll turn sticky in a day or two—even if kept in a container.

FOR THE PINEAPPLE MERINGUE: Buzz the freeze-dried pineapple in a small food processor or clean coffee mill to a fine powder, then measure out 1/3 cup. Return the reserved meringue to the mixer, and whip in the 1/3 cup pineapple powder and the vanilla until fully incorporated. Scrape into a pastry bag or zipper-lock bag and snip off a corner.

MAKE THE PINEAPPLE BRûLéE: Peel, core, and slice the pineapple into 12 rectangles, each about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves, then stir in the rum and a splash of water. Cut the heat to low and add the pineapple in a single layer. Simmer gently just until the pineapple is glazed and lightly browned all over but not turned to mush, turning a few times to brown all sides. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE: Gather 4 to 6 large white plates. On each one, spoon a couple of tablespoons of spiced panko off center in a straight line. Arrange 3 to 4 pieces of pineapple near the panko. To brûlée the pineapple, use a kitchen torch to broil the tops. This step is optional but it adds good char flavor.

Grab the bag of pineapple meringue and squeeze 4 to 5 small dollops of meringue in between the pineapple pieces. Place a few fresh berries in between the pineapple on the panko. Arrange a few shards of berry paper over the top and serve.

OPTION

For a gluten-free dessert, replace the panko with gluten-free panko, ground toasted almonds, or other nuts.