Flavors of the USAPreparation time: 1 hour
Freezing: 8 hours
Cooking time: few minutes

Editor's note

This is a spectacular dessert. Only the spun sugar technique requires a little skill. If you don't want to attempt it, decorate the base of the pineapple instead in a tropical theme using flowers and leaves.

To Make the Givré

1. Trim the base of the pineapple so that it sits flat. Cut off the top 2 inches of the pineapple, leaves still attached. Carefully cut to separate the crown of leaves from the fruit cap; discard the cap, reserving the leaves intact.
2. Using a small knife and a spoon, scoop out the pineapple pulp, over a bowl, dropping the fruit and all the juice you can catch into the bowl and taking care not to pierce the shell. Holding the pineapple upside down, scrape the inside to remove any remaining pulp.
3. Rinse the shell under cold running water. Pat dry, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
4. Put the fruit and juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve (there will be about 4 cups); discard the pulp.
5. Stir together the pineapple juice, Coco Lopez, rum, and lime juice. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Churn the cold pineapple mixture in an ice-cream maker following the manufacturer’s directions. Working quickly, unwrap the frozen pineapple, fill it just to the top with the sorbet and return it to the freezer along with the unused portion of sorbet.

To Make the Decorations

1. Line a work surface and 3 baking sheets with parchment paper; lightly coat with vegetable spray. Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl. Bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to the boil in a heavy, medium saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves, washing down any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan with a wet brush. Bring the syrup to a boil – don’t stir – and cook until light golden brown.
2. Remove the pan from heat and immerse the bottom of the pan in the ice water for 30 seconds. Set the pan down on a heatproof surface and let the caramel rest until it forms a thin thread when drizzled, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly coat the handles of two wooden spoons with vegetable spray. Set four soup cans on the parchment paper-lined surface. Rest one end of each spoon on a separate soup can; the spoons should be parallel to each other and about 15 inches apart. Intertwine the tines of two forks and hold them in one hand.
4. Dip the tines into the warm caramel, letting the excess drip back into the pot. Rapidly wave the tines back and forth over the middle portion of the two spoons to create a series of sugar threads.
5. Repeat a couple of times, until you have a light, airy layer of spun sugar. If the caramel in the pot hardens, warm it over low heat. Gently place the spun sugar layer on a prepared baking sheet. Continue spinning sugar layers until you have enough to form a base for the pineapple givré (see photo).

To Serve

1. Place the givré on a large platter. Cover the givré with scoops of the unused sorbet and top with the reserved pineapple crown leaves.
2. Make a spun sugar base for the pineapple (see photo) – it should be as light and lovely as a golden cloud.

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Daniel’s Dish:  Entertaining at Home with a Four Star Chef, Daniel Boulud, Filipacchi Publishing, 2003

The givré’s pineapple and coconut flavors and the threads of caramel demand a sweeter, traditional Sauternes-like wine made from late-harvest Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes. Even a non-French version like Fattoria Le Pupille “Sol Alto” 2000 produced in Maremma (Tuscany) should be a crowd pleaser without stealing the show.