Lemon grass, glace ginger and mint give extra zing to this easy Pineapple Carpaccio
Ingredients
2 sticks lemongrass
1 vanilla pod
100g palm sugar, grated
1 medium (1.3kg) pineapple
50g glace ginger
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, cut into chiffonade
Thick yoghurt or coconut cream, to serve
Instructions
Combine palm sugar with 100ml water in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved
SLICE the lemongrass into shards by firstly trimming on the root end and woody tip and then slicing across into 5cm lengths. SLICE the lengths in half, place cut side down on a chopping board and SLICE FINELY into shards. CUT vanilla pod in half and SCRAPE the seeds with the knife blade. Add to sugar and water mixture and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool and infuse for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, CUT the top and base off the pineapple and, while sitting upright, CAREFULLY CUT the outer skin and ‘eyes’ to remove. CUT into quarters and remove core. SLICE coreless quarters very thinly and place in a glass bowl.
SLICE the glace ginger thinly and reserve.
Strain the infused syrup over the pineapple, add the sliced glace ginger and mix lightly to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Sprinkle with mint, and serve pineapple and syrup with thick yoghurt or a drizzle of coconut cream.
