Napoleon Nouvelle
with Pineapple, Sweet Potato, Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Thyme
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Pineapple Rings
Ingredients:
1 whole cored pineapple
1 Cup Walnut Oil
6 sprigs Thyme
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees celsius. In a small saucepan, heat Walnut Oil to medium temperature, while crushing and adding sprigs of Thyme, and let them cook and infuse for 30 minutes. Cut the cored pineapple into 1/4 inch rings, and baste evenly with Thyme infused Walnut Oil. Place pineapple rings on a baking pan, and cook for 45 minutes in the oven at 400 degress, turning after 30 mintues.
Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
2oz French blue cheese
1/2 Cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 tbsp honey
Directions:
Put the blue cheese in the freezer, as it will be more easily handled when combined. Boil, strain, and mash sweet potato, and then let cool to room temperature. Add crumbled frozen blue cheese, chopped walnuts, and honey, and combine with cooled sweet potato mash.
Napoleon
Ingredients:
1 stainless steel cylindrical ring mold
Pineapple Rings
Sweet Potato Mash
Whole Walnuts, French Blue Cheese crumbles, Sprigs of Thyme for presentation and garnish.
Directions:
Cut pineapple rings in half, and begin the first layer so that there is no longer a hole, and it fills up to 1/4 inch of the mold. Add 1/4 inch of sweet potato mash, followed by 1/4 pineapple, another 1/4 inch of mash, and finally top with another 1/4 of pineapple. Place mold on a cooking pan, and cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove mold from the oven, and top with walnuts, cheese, and thyme for presentation and garnish.
Results:
I had tried the fresh pineapple and blue cheese, while making this dish, and the combination of flavours really didn't do it for me. However, I think the carmelization of the pineapple in the dish, combined with the bitterness of the toasted nuts, eathyness of the oil, sweetness of the honey, and fragrance of the thyme, really rounded this creation out. I was also very rushed for this project, and would pay more attention to equal layering and presentation in the future. I'm in no hurry, but would certainly make this dish again.
