200ml of stock syrup
200ml water
30ml light rum, such as Bacardi
juice of ½ a lemon
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed
1 large ripe pineapple
fresh mango slices or berries to serve as garnish
20g flaked almonds, toasted

Mango Cream
2 mangoes, plus extra if you wish to have mango slices as garnish
50g thick cream
50g mascarpone
½ of the seeds from the vanilla bean
50g of mango purée
3 tbsp sifted icing sugar

Place the stock syrup, water, rum, lemon juice and vanilla bean into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 mins, then transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

Remove the peel and eyes from the pineapple. Cut very thin horizontal slices and lay them in the syrup, ensuring each slice is well covered with syrup before adding the next. Cover and refrigerate overnight to macerate. The sugar syrup “cooks” the pineapple, softening it.

To make the mango cream, peel the mangoes and chop one and a half mangoes into 5mm small dice. With the remaining mango half, mash to a purée. Mix the thick cream, mascarpone and vanilla seeds together, and stir in the mango purée. Fold through the diced mango flesh, and add the icing sugar, to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, drain the pineapple slices and reduce the syrup to thicken it. Pat the slices dry with kitchen paper and place the smallest slices on the serving plates. Using an ice cream scoop, place balls of the mango cream onto each slice of pineapple, then drape one or two slices of pineapple over the ball of mango cream, shaping the pineapple around the ball. Arrange the mango slices, or berries if available, around the pineapple, sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and drizzle with a little of the reduced syrup.

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