PINEAPPLE DESSERT

1. PINEAPPLE DESSERT • INGREDIENTS • 1 can of pineapple in slices • 1 can of evaporated milk • 1 packet of pineapple gelatin • PROCEDEMENT • - Pour the gelatin into a bowl with the juice from the can of pineapples and leave it aside for a few minutes. • - Cook over a slow heat (so as not to burn it) until all the gelatin has dissolved. • - Beat the evaporated milk in a bowl until it is thick and foamy (it is best to use an electric mixer). In the kitchen, foams are made by adding a gas to a prepared mixture. In this particular dessert, this gas is air – the same as with beaten egg whites. • - Add the lukewarm gelatin mixture to the foam and fold in gently so as not to destroy the air bubbles. • - Add the slices of pineapples and mix in very gently. • - Place in the fridge. • After a few hours, you will have a great solid dessert. • What about using fresh pineapple? It might be even better! And so it might, but it won’t, for the simple reason that it won’t solidify. It’s true! Do you know why? • Well, in order to explain, we have to go back a little to talk about some other things first. The first is that gelatin is a protein, that is to say, a chain molecule which is made up of aminoacids (there are 21 different aminoacids). It is extracted from animal tissue. Haven’t you ever seen the fatty layer in the sauce that forms on roast fish or meat. That is gelatin. Now, when we heat the gelatin with the juice, these “chains” “pass into” the solution, because heat increases the movement of the molecules. But when it begins to cool, the molecules begin to move more slowly and sometimes, they meet. When this happens, they join together. When they are completely cold, they form a kind of three-dimensional net which holds the pineapple juice (which is a blend of water and juice). Hence the final semi-solid consistency that we all know. Photograph of foam (or mousse) seen through a microscope Chains Net formed by molecules

2. PINEAPPLE DESSERT (cont.) Fresh pineapple, on the other hand, contains an enzyme which causes the protein chains to be broken up into very small pieces. And with small pieces it is not possible to create the net we talked about. Result: our dessert stays runny. Have you ever heard of enzymes? I bet you have heard them mentioned in washing powder ads. The enzymes are the so-called “gluttons”. The “gluttons” of the washing powder break up the molecules that form the stains, just as the “gluttons” of the pineapple break up proteins - in this case, the gelatin chain. And pineapple isn’t the only “bad guy”. If you try figs, kiwis, papayas or ginger instead of pineapple, you won’t be any more successful. But one question remains: why doesn’t this happen with canned pineapple? Well, the answer is that canned pineapple goes through a sterilisation process before being canned in order to preserve it. This sterilisation is carried out using heat, which makes the enzyme inactive. The chains aren’t broken up and everything goes as planned. However, if you only have fresh pineapple at home, you can use it as long as you boil it in a little water for about 5 minutes. It will lose some flavour but you will get the consistency you want. A word of warning: What we are talking about here is gelatin. There are packets which say gelatin but if you check the list of ingredients you will notice that they are carbohydrates. And the enzymes of pineapple, kiwi, papaya or ginger don’t “gel with” carbohydrates… only with proteins.