68. Pineapple Tacos with Coconut-Ricotta Pancake Shells, Mango-Kiwi Salsa, and Whipped Cream

Now that school's out and I have a bit more time on my hands, I figured another brunch taco was in order.

I love brunch!  It always makes me feel like I've gotten away with something.  There's not much that seems more decadent than sitting around on a Sunday morning (or afternoon) eating a plate of something that involves bacon on the side and holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a breakfast beer (or mimosa) in the other.  :)

Brunch tacos can go sweet or savory.  I left it up to Steve.  He was rather indecisive, saying, "I don't know . . . sweet?"  That was enough for me.

I decided to go with a tropical theme.  I've already made Irish-y Apple Tacos, rich Banana-Nutella Tacos, and flaky Nectarine Rolled Tacos.  I wanted to do something different.

I've discovered that pancake shells work pretty well, though they do blur the line between tacos and . . . just pancakes.  Ha ha.  To give the shells a coconut kick, I added some cream of coconut and a splash of coconut rum.  It's pretty hard for me to make a brunch recipe without adding a splash of something boozy, apparently!

These tacos have everything you need - a tasty filling, a fresh and flavorful salsa, and a creamy topping!  Here's the recipe:

Pineapple Tacos with Coconut-Ricotta Pancake Shells, Mango-Kiwi Salsa, and Whipped Cream

Makes 12 tacos, serving about 4 to 6

Ingredients:

For the mango-kiwi salsa:

One large mango, peeled and finely chopped

2 firm but ripe kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
Juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp. grated lime zest

For the coconut-ricotta pancake shells:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Real)

1/4 cup Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay rum

1 egg

1 tbsp. canola oil

Non-stick cooking spray

For the pineapple filling:

4 tbsp. butter

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into slices

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay rum

1 half-pint container of heavy whipping cream
A few large pinches of sugar

1/2 cup toasted coconut (sweetened or not, your choice) for garnish

Instructions:

1.  Make the mango-kiwi salsa:   Place all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.  Cover and set aside.

2.  Make the pancake shell batter:  Stir together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.  In a separate small bowl, beat together the remaining ingredients.  Transfer the wet ingredients to the medium bowl and stir until just combined.

3. Cook the pancake shells:  Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat.  Cook the pancakes, 3 at a time, using about 1/4 cup of the batter for each one.  They should spread out to about the size of a street-taco tortilla, though they won't be quite as thin.  When the tops are bubbly and almost set, flip them and cook until done.  As you finish them, stack them on a sheet of foil and place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm.  Repeat this process until all of the shells are cooked.  (I got 12, or four batches.)

4.  Make the pineapple filling:  Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the pineapple, sugar, and rum and cook and stir for about 8 to 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced.  Set aside and keep warm.

5.  Place the cream in a medium bowl and add sugar to taste.  Whip with a whisk until soft peaks form.  You can also use a hand mixer.  Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the tacos.

6.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a pancake shell on a plate.  Top with a few of the pineapple slices.  Spoon on some of the salsa.  Top with a dollop of the whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of the toasted coconut.  Enjoy!

These shells turned out a bit more pancake-like than those of some of my other brunch tacos.  I think the baking soda and baking powder were possibly NOT helpful in this situation.  They were slightly puffy.  Did we still pick them up and eat them?  Yes!  Are you kidding?  According to my project description, they still qualify as tacos.  After all of this work . . . yeah.  I stand behind my creation.  Ha ha!

All kidding aside - they were a bit messy.  I might tinker with the shell a bit.  Steve suggested making the pancakes and then deep frying them to make them crispy.  Umm . . . that's a lot of work for these little shells.  I don't know.  Maybe they would be the best thing ever!

As I have said before, after I finish my taco project, I want to write a cookbook featuring all of the ideas that were sparked by making all of these tacos!  :)

You could make the shells, throw all of the other stuff on top, call them "tropical pancakes", eat them with a fork, and probably be perfectly content!  Ha ha.  I won't tell anyone.  And I would still include the bacon on the side.  Just because you can.

Well, what do you think?  Please feel free to comment below!  Thanks for reading!