Desserts for one or two have to be really easy or else you won’t bother. This grilled pineapple strikes just the right balance. It can be ready in minutes and adds another dimension to a familiar fruit. To test if your pineapple is ripe, try pulling a leaf from the top. It should come out easily. If it doesn’t, leave the pineapple in the fruit bowl for a day or two and try again.
SERVES: 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ripe pineapple
- ¼ cup sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
- Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- Pinch of Chinese five-spice powder
- 1½ Tbsp butter, cut in half
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
- First prepare the pineapple. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top and base, then cut the pineapple into 8 long wedges. Cut along the inside edge of the wedges to remove the core. Slice between the flesh and the skin as you would a piece of melon, but leave the last ¾ inch of skin attached.
- Heat a grill pan. Place the pineapple wedges in the hot pan, pushing the fruit against the grill bars to help it color. Cook for 2 minutes on each side until marked. Sprinkle over a little sugar 1 minute before the end of cooking to glaze the fruit.
- To make the caramel, tip the sugar, the vanilla seeds, and five-spice powder into a heavy-bottomed frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and is turning a dark golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the butter and 2 tablespoons of the cream. Shake the pan to melt the butter, whisk to combine, then add the remaining cream.
- To serve, drizzle the caramel sauce over the pineapple wedges and serve immediately.
HOW TO GRILL ON A PAN:
- Whenever you use a grill pan, always press down hard what you are cooking and hold it there for a few seconds. This will help achieve those characteristic scorch lines, which not only look attractive but mean more flavor.
