My third dairy-free dessert course puts a summery twist on a classic. Its name often evokes feelings of fanciness, flair, and even a little intimidation. This dish seems like it requires a certain unattainable culinary acumen to prepare, but take heart: it’s not hard. It takes simple ingredients, a flair for creativity, and it just requires a bit of patience.
It’s a dairy-free pineapple crème brûlée. With a brown sugar-pineapple base, rich custard filling, and crunchy caramel topping, I savor every bite of this classic-turned-tropical treat. And rightfully so, given that it takes time to set. Because this recipe utilizes dairy-free heavy whipping cream instead of dairy whipping cream, it takes longer to set. Patience will be rewarded with this recipe, as there’s nothing more satisfying than breaking through the hard caramel topping to a rich vanilla custard and crushed pineapple base.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- FOR THE PINEAPPLE SHELLS AND FILLING:
- 2 ripe pineapples
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE CUSTARD:
- 1 1/2 cups Silk Dairy-Free Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs, plus 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 9 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Reddi-wip Almond Non-Dairy Whipped Cream, for garnish (optional)
- raspberries, either fresh or thawed, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- FOR THE PINEAPPLE SHELLS:
- 1. Cut off the bottom and crown of the leaves from the pineapples. Do not peel the pineapple.
- 2. Cut the pineapples crosswise into 6 rounds, about 1 1/2 inches thick for each slice.
- 3. Now, you'll create a shell to hold the crème brûlée. For each slice, use a small sharp knife to cut an incision about 1/4 inch around the edge of each pineapple shell. Make sure you don't cut all the way down through the bottom of each slice.
- 4. Use a melon baller to scoop out the pineapple fruit within the incision, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell.
- 5. Finely chop the pineapple fruit — you should have about 2 cups of finely chopped pineapple. Place the chopped pineapple in a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar.
- 6. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the pineapple mixture 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until dry and the pineapple is browned.
- 7. Return the browned pineapple to the medium bowl and allow it to cool completely. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate until for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.
- FOR THE CUSTARD:
- 1. In a medium saucepan, bring the dairy-free heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- 2. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in a medium heat-proof bowl. Gradually whisk in the hot whipping cream. Place this mixture, the custard, in the saucepan.
- 3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the custard is thick and reaches 185°F. Make sure you don't boil the custard. Pour the custard through through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Let it cool completely.
- ASSEMBLE THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE:
- 1. Divide the pineapple mixture evenly among the pineapple shells. Spread the pineapple mixture evenly. Place the pineapple shells on a baking sheet.
- 2. Spoon equal amounts of the custard over the pineapple mixture in each pineapple shell and smooth the custard. Cover each pineapple shell with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate for 1 day.
- 3. The next day, take out the pineapple shells and sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar over each. Using the a torch, wave the flame about 1/2 inch above the custard to caramelize the sugar.
- 4. Top each crème brûlée with Reddi-wip and fresh strawberries, if desired. Serve immediately.
