I usually don’t like my fruits cooked unless it’s coated in lots of sugar and made into a dessert like apple pies or pineapple upside down cake or banana nut bread. My perception completely changed when I went to a Brazilian churrascaria bbq restaurant many years ago. One of their menu item was a grilled pineapple and one bite into it, I knew I wanted more. The next time the server came around, I basically asked for the whole pineapple. After the pineapple has been grilled, the flavor, the juiciness, and the sweetness all goes up exponentially. The best thing is that you don’t get cuts in your mouth from the fibers because it’s been softened by cooking. Since I don’t have a rotisserie grill, I never attempted to make grilled pineapples until one day when I bought some pineapples that were just not very tasty and under ripened. Since I’ve got nothing to lose, I cut the pineapple in half, cored it, and added some sweetener, tossed it into the oven and 30 minutes later, it was a delicious and juicy roasted pineapple.
Ok, so the best places to get pineapples are Costco. Both Jeff and myself love to buy things at Costco because of the quality and consistency. But I wouldn’t recommend roasting Costco’s pineapples because that would just be such a waste. They taste so much better fresh and cold. However, if sometimes you buy pineapples at the supermarket and it turns out to be not so sweet, have no fear, just roast it. Throughout the years, I’ve made some tweaks to the recipe so that it’s not just a pure roasted pineapple but has some seasoning and flavoring. It’s like a dieter’s dessert if you will.
Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 not-so-tasty pineapple
- 2 tbsp apricot jam**
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp lime juice
** You can substitute apricot jam with any other jam. I’ve tried orange marmalade, peach, pineapple (yes, pineapple jam on pineapple), and even passion fruit puree. You can also use honey or brown sugar as well.
I’m using a lime juice substitute called True Lime – works wonders when you don’t have fresh lime handy and it lasts much longer than lime juice in a jar.
Directions:
Ironically, you can’t really make this recipe until you peel open a pineapple and find that it’s not ripe enough. Then you’ll say, “Hey, I’ll just roast it.” And no one should ever purposely buy a not-so-tasty pineapple just so they can try this recipe. That’s like buying prime rib and then making hamburgers. So if you happen to cut open a pineapple that’s not so ripe, you can now use this recipe.
Cut the peeled pineapple in half and remove the center core. I usually just cut a V-shape down the center – not as pretty but a lot faster.
Rub lime juice over the pineapple to prevent discoloration during cooking. The acid will keep the pineapple nice and yellow (or white if you bought a really un-ripe pineapple). I ran out of lime juice so I used a dehydrated lime powder – works wonders and comes handy when you don’t have fresh lime on hand.
Next, coat the pineapple with a thin layer of apricot jam, or any other jam you like. This brings another layer of flavor to the final product. If there are adults only in the house, you can add a tablespoon of rum to make the whole thing more like a tropical island vacation.
Lastly, put the pineapple face down (hump up) on a baking tray and sprinkle on the cinnamon powder.
Roast in the oven at 375° F for about 30 minutes until the pineapple shrivels up a bit and the top turns a little golden brown. Don’t overcook it or else it will start to dry out.
Remove and slice and serve hot as an appetizer, a side, or for those of us on a diet, a perfectly satisfying dessert.
- 1 not-so-tasty pineapple
- 2 tbsp apricot jam**
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp lime juice
- Peel pineapple and cut in half
- Remove core
- rub lime juice over pineapple to prevent discoloration
- spread jam over the pineapple
- put pineapple face down on baking tray
- sprinkle cinnamon
- roast pineapples at 375°F for 30 minutes
- remove, slice, and serve hot