Pineapple Surprise

To make the sponge cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 10-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, then add 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until the mixture is pale yellow in color and forms a ribbon on top of the mixture when dropped from a spoon. Add the vanilla. In a deep mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, beat in the cream of tartar, salt, and remaining sugar, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold the flour into the egg yolk mixture by thirds, then fold in one large spoonful of egg whites to lighten the mixture. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the top springs back when gently touched, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and turn out onto a towel on a work surface.

Peel one pineapple and save some of the tender center leaves for garnish. Peel the pineapple, core out the eyes, and chop the pineapple in chunks. Place the pineapple chunks, 10 ounces of sugar, and 4 cups water in a deep saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Strain and squeeze all the juice out of the chunks and put the juice back to boil. Dilute the corn syrup with the remaining water and add to the pineapple syrup. Dissolve the corn starch in the cold water, and stir into the pineapple syrup to thicken. Put in a squeeze bottle.

Peel the second pineapple, core, cut out the eyes, and chop into chunks. Cut the sponge cake in half horizontally and separate the layers. Cut out eight oblong pieces. Place one piece of cake, cut-side up, on each of four heat-proof plates. Place the pineapple chunks on the cake, and cover with a second piece of cake, cut-side down.

In a deep bowl, beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Continue beating, adding the sugar, until stiff peaks form. Preheat the broiler to highest setting. Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip and cover the sponge cake with meringue stars to look like a pineapple. Place under the broiler just long enough to singe the meringue, or, singe it with a small blowtorch. Fill the plates with the pineapple sauce. Melt the chocolate in a small heavy pan over barely simmering water, place in a squeeze bottle, and dot the pineapple sauce with a row of chocolate dots around one half of the plate. Pull the tip of a sharp knife through the chocolate dots in one direction, connecting the dots with a line of chocolate. Working with the tip of the knife, pull outwards a short distance from each dot in a series of lines for a star-line effect. Garnish the other side of the dessert with a few pineapple leaves to make it resemble a pineapple.