Above is a plated dessert I did recently, Pineapple that was roasted in a Salt Crust, mint and yogurt emulsion, coconut gelato and a few edible flower fresh from the garden.
I found the awesome method and idea, of roasting a whole pineapple in a salt crust, in Ben Shewry's book "Origin", an awesome book. Roasting in a salt crust was originally used for poultry and fish, but now has begun to be used for vegetables and fruits, anything really! The origin of the salt crust cannot be exactly pin pointed, but many European countries have laid claim to this method. If you have ever been to a traditional Italian wedding, you would find salt-roasted fish in the meal. China also has been using this method for a very long time in order to preserve moisture in the various types of proteins cooked there.
When I first attempted roasting the pineapple in the salt crust I noticed a few very interesting results. The core was much saltier than the flesh. The core had absorbed the salt solution and left the flesh perfectly salted. The question originated "Why was the center so much saltier than the flesh"? The other two things I noticed were; the pineapple flesh had become somewhat translucent and the color had deepened. Why did this happen? That was my question.
Above, is the pineapple in salt prior to roasting. Not very attractive, but taste good in the end!
The idea of putting a colored dye (red) into the salt mixture in order to track the flow of the salt came to mind. Theoretically, the dye would move at the same speed as the salt solution and follow it into the core, and would show the flow rate. This didn't happen, the red dye only penetrated the skin of the pineapples and the salt solution penetrated all the way to the core as in previous experiment. Afterwards, we found out that the dye had a much higher molecular weight than that of the salt solution, thus causing it to not be able to penetrate the pineapple as the salt did.
To answer the question of why the core was saltier than the flesh, there is really only one theory so far. When the pineapple was alive, the core was the part of the plant that acted as the nutrient provider. So it acted almost as a vacuum, pulling the salt solution straight into the core. Osmosis is one of the key factors for this happening. Osmosis is the absorption or flow of solute of higher concentration flowing into an area of low concentration. So, the high concentration of salt moved into the core, where there was a very low concentration of salt.
This is the experiment and results I have done so far. More to come from the pineapples!!!
To answer the question of why the core was saltier than the flesh, there is really only one theory so far. When the pineapple was alive, the core was the part of the plant that acted as the nutrient provider. So it acted almost as a vacuum, pulling the salt solution straight into the core. Osmosis is one of the key factors for this happening. Osmosis is the absorption or flow of solute of higher concentration flowing into an area of low concentration. So, the high concentration of salt moved into the core, where there was a very low concentration of salt.
This is the experiment and results I have done so far. More to come from the pineapples!!!
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