Ingredients
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Piña Colada Crème
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300 millilitres coconut purée/cream
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75 grams Caster Sugar
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15 grams Gelatinesoftened in ice cold water, with excess water squeezed out
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150 millilitres crème fraiche
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370 millilitres whipping cream(35% fat)
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50 millilitres Malibu rum
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Coconut Dacquoise ‘Sponge’ (makes 2 x 400 g/14 oz, 400 g/14 oz per tray)
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200 grams blanched almond meal
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60 grams plain flour
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240 grams icing sugar
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300 grams egg whites
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135 grams Caster Sugar
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300 grams desiccated coconut
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Feuilletine
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400 grams white chocolate
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150 grams Pailleté Feuilletinechopped crêpes dentelles/ French crispy pancakes
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White Chocolate Discs
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400 grams white chocolate
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Assembling
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Components/Garnishes Fresh tropical fruit, such as pineapple, mango, papaya or passion fruit pulp, according to season; sprigs of lemon balm
Directions
‘Nothing beats a cocktail or high tea, so I wanted to have the two in one,’ quips Anna. ‘I used the flavours of a piña colada and twisted them into “Tropic-Anna”, Anna being my name, of course. I used different recipes that I knew worked on their own and could work well together.’ Recipe From:The New Pâtissiers by Olivier Dupon published by Thames & Hudson $70.00. Available at all good bookstores.
- Specific Equipment: Piping (pastry) bag with size 8 nozzle; acetate sheets; circle cutter (5.5 cm/21⁄8 in. diameter); circle cutter (3 cm/11⁄8 in. diameter)
Piña Colada Crème
- Warm the coconut purée/cream and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Remove from the heat and add the gelatine.
- Pour into a bowl and whisk in the crème fraîche.
- Allow to cool until semi-set.
- Once semi-set, whisk again by hand and fold through the semi-whipped cream, followed by the Malibu rum.
- Place in the piping (pastry) bag and reserve in the fridge.
Coconut Dacquoise ‘Sponge’
- Sift together the almond meal, plain (all-purpose) flour and icing (confectioner’s) sugar.
- Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer until soft peaks form, gradually adding the caster (superfine) sugar.
- Take the mixture off the machine and gently fold through the sifted dry ingredients, along with the desiccated (shredded) coconut.
- Spread onto two silicone baking paper-lined trays, 400 g (14 oz) per tray, and bake at 160°C (325°F) for 6 minutes, or until cooked.
- Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool as fast as possible.
Feuilletine
- Melt the white chocolate and mix in the pailleté feuilletine.
- Spread evenly onto the dacquoise ‘sponges’ (from above recipe) once these have cooled.
- Place into the freezer.
White Chocolate Discs
- Temper the chocolate.
- Spread thinly onto acetate sheets.
- Once semi-set, cut into 20 discs of 5.5 cm (2 1⁄8 in.) diameter and 20 discs of 5.5 cm (2 1⁄8 in.) diameter with a 3 cm (11⁄8 in.) hole cut out in the middle.
Assembling
- For each of the 20 cakes, cut out the dacquoise ‘sponge’ to a diameter of 5.5 cm (2 1⁄8 in.).
- Place a 5.5 cm (2 1⁄8 in.) white chocolate disc on top.
- Pipe small rounds of the piña colada crème around the disc, then place a white chocolate disc with the centre cut out on top.
- In the centre place 0.5 cm (3⁄16 in.) dices of tropical fruit.
- Garnish each cake with three sprigs of lemon balm.
“We have simplified some instructions from the original book to fit our layout”