Cactus Blossom in December and Preparing Picked Prickly Pears

 One bright Saturday morning, I found a Cactus with flower.  It was a big surprise.  It opens and closes along with the sun.  It only lasted two days, but it was great seeing a home grown cactus flowering after two years.

This year, the prickly pear was ripened very late.  And as usual, I have to be very careful and wear a mask during picking.  I also wore a pair of gloves and use a long handle picker.  Each prickly pear is then rolled around on the garden's succulent cactus nearby to remove as much thorns as possible.  You must be very careful with the Prickly pear's fine minuscule microscopic thorns.  Some are so light that they can airborne during picking.   I rinse them down with the hose before I take it inside the house.  Then, I rinse them at the kitchen sink thoroughly before I skin them.

Scrubbing off as much thorns against other cactus before putting them in a bag or container

Check this fine hair thorns that can airborne.  Wear a Mask during picking!!

Rinsing off once outside in the garden, then, at the kitchen sink.  Do not touch the prickly pear with bear hands.  Use a long kitchen tongue at all times unless you are 100% sure that you have used a propane torch and burned off the hair before bringing them into the house.

Pretty cleaned up.

Holding with a fork, slice off the head.  Then, skin.

You can eat it as is after peeling or puree and make Prickly Pear Colada Cocktail.

Push them through a strainer.

The smooth prickly pear juice can now be used to make anything you want.

The outer fresh can be processed in the NutriBullet to make into Puree.

 

Freeze the puree in ice tray, then store in a freezer plastic bag for later use.  Make your favorite drinks.

I notice the prickly pear has this shiny golden copper tint to the red.

Adventure in Slicing Fresh Pineapple Shipped from Maui

 It is definitely different from the green ones we buy from the local grocery store.  It is vine ripe.

Skin the pineapple thinly to expose all the eyes. 

With knife at an angle, slice all the eyes in the circular scale motion.  That is all there is to it.

Likely all these sliced off parts can be processed in a juicer if you have one.

Fresh Pineapple Tatin for Thanksgiving Day Zoom Party

Prepare Puff Pastry. 

PUFF PASTRY DOUGH - for 1 Tatin - Prep Method:  Croissant dough
Bread Flour: 93.75 g
Cake Flour: 31.25 g
Butter Softened: 15 g
Salt:  2 g
Water, Cold:  70.50 g
Use paddle - knead till nice and SMOOTH.
Set aside wrapped.  Rest while preparing butter block.
BUTTER BLOCK:
Butter:  125 g
Bread Flour:  15 g
Knead butter and flour together.
Place them between parchment paper.  Form into nice square about 1/2 inch thick.
*The dough and butter block should be about the same softness.
I am not going to give a full details on how to of the dough process.  Please review your favorite site's croissant dough making technique or you can find the similar in my previous blogs on Croissant.
Roll out/cut open the ball of Puff dough into a disc size large enough to envelop the butter block.
After enveloping the butter block. Wrap and let them rest in refrigerator for 30 min.  (Overnight is okay also).
Hopefully your kitchen is cool around 60'F.  Bring out the dough and bring them to the room temp - 30 - 45 min.

  

 

 

  

In a slightly floured countertop, roll out the dough following Croissant method.  Leaving the rolled out dough in a circular shape, "cut" the dough to fit the size of the saute pan that you will be caramelizing the pineapple slices in.

Chop one stick of Butter into chunks. Use a Oven Proof Stainless Steel saute pan. 

Place 2/3 of chopped butter in the pan.  Add sugar... *depending on the sweetness of the fresh pineapple - roughly 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup.

Lay Pineapple slices in circular shape, overlapping each other with presentation side down.  Add some more sugar on the top and the rest of the butter on the top.
Do not disturb anything in the pan and cook at medium heat (gas stove's) - sugar caramelize to light color tan.  
The oven rack should be placed top 2nd row. 
When sugar begins to show the sign of amber color - Place the cut puff dough on the top.

Bake till the dough puffs up and turns beautiful golden brown.   

*Do Not Open the Oven the first 5  to 7 min. - the puff pastry needs steam to puff up - the moisture  from butter.  Check through the glass door. 

While the Tatin is still baking, get a serving platter large enough to cover the Saute Pan.

Wearing mittens on both hands.

Remove the Tatin from the oven.  Within 3 minutes, Reverse the pastry without hesitation onto serving platter without splattering the hot syrup onto yourself.  

*Be careful of the hot caramelized sugar in the pan during reversal.

 

More Pictures:

Preparing fresh pineapple.

Slice the pineapple into thirds.

Arrange the pineapple upside when cooking so that when it is reversed onto plate, the presentation side is presented.

Remove from the oven.  Wearing oven mittens, within 3 minutes, place the serving plate on top of the baked puff pastry. 

Top with some Marachino cherries.

Serve by using pizza cutter.

Tatin number 2.  I was a bit more careful with the caramelization time.

Enjoy it while warm.  Serve ice-cream or whip cream or as is.