Caramel:
250g sugar
150mL water
Black rice and palm sugar pudding:
1L milk
200g desiccated coconut
130g palm sugar
4 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
150g black rice
Syrup:
165mL spring water
150g sugar
Roasted pineapple and vanilla butter:
1 ripe pineapple
70g clarified butter
60-80mL cider vinegar
70mL dark rum
Place sugar and water in copper pot on stove to make a dark caramel. Clean sides of pot with a wet brush.
Clean and lightly oil pudding moulds; line bottom with caramel. Allow to cool.
For the rice pudding, warm milk with coconut and palm sugar. Strain milk; add to lightly beaten eggs and yolks. Stir but do not stir bubbles. Pour half the mixture into caramel cups, filling the cups halfway. Bake in bain-marie on 120 C until mixture starts to firm.
Boil rice until tender, drain and mix with remaining custard. Fill moulds and bake until firm to the touch.
To make the syrup, combine sugar and spring water, then bring to boil on high heat. Boil to 215 F, brushing sides occasionally with water. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the pineapple by removing leaves, keeping several inner leaves for decoration. Trim pineapple well, cut lengthwise in quarters and remove core. Slice into 5mm thick slices.
Prepare vanilla butter by heating clarified butter in cast iron pan over high heat until it smokes. Add a single layer of pineapple into it, cook until well browned on each side and transfer to plate. Remove vanilla butter for later use and return pineapple, deglaze pan with 2/3 of the vinegar, add rum and syrup. Braise in oven for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Remove pineapple into another pan, melt vanilla butter into juices and adjust acidity with remaining vinegar if required. Strain sauce onto pineapple. Reserve for at least 3 hours.
Reheat pineapple gently. Demould pudding and let syrup drain away. Arrange pineapple on plate and set pudding in the middle. Decorate with pineapple leaves and 300mL whipped cream.
Recipe provided by The Botanical Dining Room
