Pineapple and coriander cheesecake

The chef of the Sugar Club, Nicolas Bonnaud, takes us step by step through the preparation of his impressive pineapple and coriander cheesecake.

Cheesecake cream

75 g	Cream cheese, Philadelphia, room temperature
5 g	Icing sugar
124 g	Sugar
10 g	Water
1	Egg, yolk, lightly beaten
45 g	Whipped cream

Crumble

55 g	Butter, room temperature
25 g	Sugar
½ pinche	Salt
55 g	Ground almonds
45 g	Flour

Pineapple meringue and caramelised pineapple

1	Egg, white, at room temperature
50 g	Sugar
30 g	Pineapple juice, body temperature - 45C
1	Pineapple
50 g	Sugar
5 ml	Rum

Directions

Cheesecake cream

1. Soften the cream cheese with the icing sugar.
2. In a pot, bring the water and sugar to 120C to achieve a sugar syrup (see sugar syrup notes below). Pour it over the egg yolk straight away and whisk until it cools down. This is called a sabayon.
3. Fold the whipped cream and the sabayon into the cream cheese. Pour into a container and keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up a bit before use.

Sugar syrup notes

As you cook your sugar syrup you will notice the bubbles get thicker as the temperature rises — 120C is the temperature of a sugar syrup just before it starts to colour.

Crumble

1. Mix the butter, sugar, salt, ground almonds and flour together. Place in the fridge to harden. The crumble mix at this stage will keep in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a couple of months. It can be crumbled and cooked from frozen.
2. When cold crumble on to a silicon mat or baking paper-lined oven tray and bake at 150C for about 15 minutes until nice and golden.

Pineapple meringue

1. Slowly whisk the egg white until soft peaks form. Start whisking in sugar, bit by bit. See meringue notes below. When the meringue is getting firm, add the pineapple juice (it must be at 45C to ensure success of this meringue) and keep whisking until it firms up again.
2. Using a piping bag and a 1cm nozzle, pipe the meringue on to a baking paper-lined oven tray in 2cm circles. Dry in the oven at 90C for about 1 hour. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Meringue notes

1. Whisk the egg white until soft peaks form and you can turn the bowl upside down without it falling out. Do not over-whisk at this stage.
2. Gradually add sugar and whisk until sugar granules have dissolved and mixture is firm.
3. Add the pineapple juice and whisk until the mixture firms up again.
4. You can use a whisk, and electric beater or a cake mixer to make meringue.

Caramelised pineapple

1. Peel, core and cut the pineapple into ½ cm dice (click here for step-by-step instructions on pineapple).
2. Place about half of the diced pineapple in a saucepan with the sugar and cook on a high heat. Don't stir until it is starting to caramelise, then cook well, the longer the better, stirring from time to time until the pineapple has a nice, dark caramelisation.
3. Pour in the rum and set alight to burn off the alcohol (or just cook well if you don't want to light). Stir and set aside to cool down.
4. When cold add the rest of the diced pineapple and refrigerate.

To serve

• 8 scoops pineapple sorbet (store-bought)
• 30 toasted almonds, cut in half
• Micro coriander or regular coriander leaves
• Falooda seeds, soaked in cold water (optional), also known as hairy basil (available at Asian grocers and health food stores)

To plate

1. Place a round cookie cutter, to act as a mould, in the middle of a narrow-centred plate.
2. Place pineapple around the outside of the cutter, along with some toasted almonds, some coriander and the falooda seeds, if you are using them.
3. Place a scoop of sorbet inside the cookie cutter and press down.
4. Add some crumble on top of the sorbet and remove the cookie cutter
5. Add a scoop or quenelle of cheesecake cream.
6. Pop meringues on top.