Day 76 - Tropical Fruits -- The Pineapple, Part One

Pineapple is one of those fruits that have always been around.  Even though it's a tropical fruit, Dole has made sure that everyone in the U.S. has access to it, either fresh or canned.  I can remember as a kid eating a bowl of Jello with pineapple tidbits.  My mom made a wonderful pineapple upside down cake and a Jello mold that featured cottage cheese and canned crushed pineapple.  And then there was her pineapple torte with the graham cracker crust that was dessert for a special occassion like Christmas or Easter.

This recipe, from Vegetarian Times, is a very simple way to eat pineapple, sprinkled with a bit of sugar and ginger and chili powder, then broiled.  I left out the oil and it was just as tasty!

Spicy Glazed Pineapple
Serves 6
30 minutes or fewer

A ginger glaze that gets caramelized under the broiler adds a completely new dimension to sweet-tart pineapple. Feel free to try this technique on other firm sliced fruits such as mangoes, peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, or bananas. Serve with a fruit or coconut sorbet or granita.

12 rings fresh pineapple
6 Tbs. grapeseed oil
¼ cup. turbinado sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. chili powder

1. Preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Arrange pineapple rings in single layer (this may need to be done in batches).

2. Stir together remaining ingredients until combined, and brush each pineapple ring with glaze mixture.

3. Broil pineapple 3 minutes, until fruit begins to brown. Rotate tray, and broil 2 to 3 minutes more, or until each pineapple ring is caramelized.