The sweet tang of pineapple in this festive dessert works perfectly with the smooth, creamy coconut. Who would have thought to match this Pina Colada delight with the cool crunch of mulled wine flavoured granita? Our Head Chef, Fred Ponnavoy, that's who. The dessert is sure to "wow" your guests this festive period, give it a try!
Mulled Wine Granita with Pina Colada Dessert Recipe
Makes 4 servings (but you will need 8 ramekins!)
Gluten Free, Dairy Free/Vegan dessert recipe.
Ingredients:
Caramelised Pineapple
1 Medium Pineapple – will yield roughly 350g/400g
40g of Light Brown Sugar
Coconut Chantilly
2 Cans of Coconut Cream
30g Granulated or Caster Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod (A fresh vanilla pod is best, but you can use 1tsp of Vanilla Extract in its place)
Mulled Wine Granita
1 Bottle of White Wine (750ml)
30-40ml Rum of your choice
74g Granulated sugar
1 large Cinnamon Stick (or 2 small)
2-3 Star Anise seeds
1 Small Orange, cut into 4 segments
How to make your Mulled Wine Granita with Pina Colada Dessert
Twist off the spiky head of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, with a knife, cut off the skin in strips, starting from the top, down towards the base of the pineapple.
Cut the pineapple into quarters and then cut out the hard core. Chop the pineapple into small cubes of roughly the same size (around 0.5cm cubes) to ensure even baking.
Sprinkle the sugar over the pineapple and mix to coat the pineapple cubes in sugar. Spread the mixture over a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10-15 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C fan. Leave to cool.
Place all the Granita ingredients together in a large pan and bring to a simmer. Leave to cool. Pass the liquid through a thin sieve into a shallow, freezable dish of your choice to remove any sediment.
Place the dish in the freezer for a few hours. (Reuse tip: If you wish, you can retain the spices, and dry them in the oven to be reused – perhaps to decorate your Christmas wreath?)
Place the can or pack of coconut cream in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, if possible, overnight. Carefully empty the contents into a cold bowl. If using a can of coconut milk, take care to remove all coconut water.
Add the sugar and the scraped vanilla pod. Using a whisk or a stand mixer, whisk until light and fluffy. Keep refrigerated until required.
To serve:
Spread a layer the caramelized pineapple into the bottom of a ramekin. Spoon or pipe a healthy layer of coconut Chantilly on top of this. If you wish to be extra fancy, crush or grind some gingerbread biscuits and sprinkle on top (omit gingerbread if you wish to keep this recipe vegan and gluten free!).
Take the tray of frozen granita, scrape it using a fork or a spoon to create shards of ice. Fill a second ramekin with the granita. Serve both ramekins together, immediately (before your granita melts!).
Enjoy with friends and family!
