Pineapple “Shaved Ice”

METHOD:

For the Panna Cotta:

In a sauce pot, place the cream and scraped vanilla bean and pod. Bring to a boil. Add in the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Squeeze out all the water from the bloomed gelatin, as any excess water will affect the final product. Turn off the heat and whisk in the gelatin until dissolved. Add in the whole milk and stir to combine. Strain the mixture through a chinois. Divide into serving vessels and chill to let set.

For the Tapioca Pearls:

In a pot, combine the water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. When the mixture is at a rolling boil, add in the tapioca pearls. Let boil for 15 minutes or until the pearls are clear. Turn off the heat and pour out some of the water. Add in ice. Let the pearls sit in water and ice to allow the pearls to expand larger.

For the Coconut Tapioca:

In a pot, stir together the coconut milk and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool before using. Combine 120 grams of the sauce with 240 grams of Tapioca Pearls. If the mixture thickens overnight, stir in more coconut sauce.

For the Compressed Pineapple:

Clean and quarter each pineapple and cut out the core. Place in a large bowl. Mix the pineapple with the vanilla. Vacuum-seal the pineapple quarters in bags with pieces of ginger and place in the freezer.

For the Dehydrated Pineapple:

Clean and quarter pineapple, and remove the core. Place the pineapple quarters on a wire rack on a sheet tray. Let dry overnight in the oven. When dry, remove the rack from the oven and store in the refrigerator. Cut into ½-inch cubes.

For the Lilikoi Sauce:

In a stainless steel pot, combine the water, sugar, and lilikoi juice. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, combine the modified food starch with little water to make a slurry. Let simmer for 3 minutes to thicken. Turn off the heat. Strain through a chinois and chill.

For the Haupia Sorbet:

Combine the coconut milk, syrup, and water and strain through a chinois. Spin in an ice cream machine and freeze until ready to serve.

To Assemble and Serve:

In a stemless martini glass, place 60 grams of Panna Cotta. Chill and let set. After the Panna Cotta has set, top with 14 grams of Lilikoi Sauce. Start by squeezing the sauce from the outside edge to the center. Top with the 56 grams of Coconut Tapioca and chiffonade of mint leaf. Place a scoop of Haupia Sorbet in the middle of the tapioca. Place five ¼-inch cubes of Dehydrated Pineapple around the sorbet. Shave the frozen, Compressed Pineapple on top using a coarse microplane. Zest lime overtop with the fine microplane. Serve immediately.