Glazed Sugarloaf Pineapple:
1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise and seeds scraped out
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rum
1/2 to 1 pineapple (depending on size), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, rinse and reserve nice leaves, for garnish
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Lobster Tails:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 Australian lobster tails
1/4 teaspoon Bijol (Cuban spice mix)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pineapple and Lobster Salad:
1/2 mango, peeled and diced small
1/3 papaya (Hawaiian), diced small
2 ounces water chestnuts, julienned
1 small red bell pepper, diced small
1/2-ounce carrots, shredded
1-ounce bamboo sprouts, quartered
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1-ounce purple cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup Lime Mayo Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Pineapple Chips, recipe follows
2 ounces fresh coconut, shredded and toasted
Cuban Shrimp Skewers:
1 small piece sugar cane (sold at specialty shops)
1/2 teaspoon Bijol (Cuban spice mix)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper medley
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
8 (U-12) shrimp
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Mix vanilla seed, sugar, and rum together in a large bowl. Add the pineapple and marinate for 15 minutes. Cook pineapple with melted butter in large pan over medium-high heat in batches until pineapple has caramelized. Cool and cut into small diced pieces. Set aside.
Cut tails lengthwise and crack shell. Pull out meat but keep tail attached at tail end. Season with Bijol, salt, and pepper. Brush with butter. Roast until cooked, approximately 15 minutes, basting with butter a few times. Cool and dice.
Combine lobster, pineapple, mango, papaya, water chestnuts, red pepper, carrots, bamboo shoots, chives, and cabbage and mix gently with 1/4 cup of the Lime Mango dressing.
Preheat a grill: Cut sugar cane into 4 skewers, about 4 to 5 inches long. Season with Bijol, salt, and pepper. Mix butter, zest, and fruit juice then brush shrimp with butter mixture. Grill, basting with butter mixture until shrimp is fully cooked.
Place 3 to 4 pineapple chips on bottom of plate and place coconut in center of chips. Fill coconut with salad. Garnish with lengthwise chips and pineapple leaves. Spoon a tablespoon of dressing on each plate. Lean shrimp skewer against coconut and plate at an angle.
Note: This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove the vanilla bean.
* Cracking Coconuts: Tap with a cleaver, applying pressure around top of coconut. Tap around and around the top of the coconut until the top breaks off. Reserve coconut water.
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