Ingredients
Crust
Vanilla filling
Pineapple filling
Preparation
Crust
- In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Stir in the butter mixture with a wooden spoon.
- Line a 20-cm (8-inch) removable bottom pie plate, or springform pan, with the dough by pressing it with your fingers in a thin layer, 3-cm (1 1/4-inch) up the side. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- With a fork, prick the bottom of the chilled pastry. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool.
Vanilla filling
- Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife. Place in a saucepan with the milk. Heat gently for about 10 minutes. Remove the pod. If using vanilla extract, heat milk for about 5 minutes before adding the vanilla extract, remove from the heat.
- In a saucepan, off the heat, combine the brown sugar and flour. Add the eggs and beat until well blended.
- Whisk in the milk mixture. Cook over low heat until it boils, stirring continuously. Pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let cool.
- Pour the cooled filling into the crust. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pineapple topping
- Peel the pineapple, cut into quarters and remove the core. Cut each quarter lengthwise into 0.5-cm (1/4-inch) thin slices.
- Grill the pineapple slices, a few at a time, on a lightly oiled ridged skillet or on the grill until grill marks appear on their surface. Cool to room temperature.
- Arrange the grilled pineapple slices on the vanilla filling, overlapping them. Heat the jelly in a small saucepan or microwave oven until it liquefies. Glaze the tart with the hot jelly. Refrigerate and serve the same day.
Note
How to buy a pineapple
According to Nino Marcone, owner of Chez Nino greengrocer, at the Jean-Talon Market, there is no point in pulling on pineapple leaves to check for ripeness. Its leaves pull out relatively easily, whether it is ripe or not. So that is a myth that it is better relegated to oblivion. According to our expert, look for a fruit whose skin is the most yellow. If it is green, you just let it ripen a few days at room temperature, never in the fridge.
How do I know if it is ripe enough? Feel the fruit at the center of the "eyes" that are everywhere on the bark. When the pineapple is ripe - sweet and juicy - these parts of the bark are more tender. Nino Marcone also advises to choose a Golden pineapple, his best-selling pineapple variety. This variety has a deep yellow flesh and is very sweet. It is recognizable by the word "Golden" on its label.