We recently cooked some Vietnamese roast duck and pineapple for dinner. The baked pineapple rings were a harmonious blend of spice and sweet, and held its own in terms of texture and flavour.

My wife thought the pineapple (suitably paired with vanilla ice cream) would be a great dessert. She was right … as usual. And thus sweet ‘n’ spicy baked pineapple came to be.

Continue reading“Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Baked Pineapple”→

Equipment

• Large strong, sealable bag, e.g. freezer bag
• Measuring jug
• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Shallow roasting tray
• Baking parchment
• Wire rack
• Small saucepan

Ingredients

• 1 sweet/ripe pineapple
• 2-3 tbsp Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head*
• 100ml spiced rum
• 100ml agave syrup

* – gives the pineapple a lovely, fresh and slightly spicy flavour. This continues the principle of using BBQ rubs in everyday cooking. Ginger, cinnamon, a little salt and Demerara sugar can be combined to make a rub, but really it’s worth getting the Pineapple Head rub.

Method

Preparation

1. Skin and slice pineapple into ½ inch thick sections, removing core to create pineapple rings.
2. Mix 1 tbsp Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head rub, spiced rum and agave syrup in a small bowl, then pour into sealable bag. Place pineapple rings in bag and carefully roll them around (more commonly known as slooshing) to coat rings fully with marinade.
3. Seal bag tight, expelling as much air as possible. Store sealed bag in fridge to cool for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Baking in an Oven

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/320°F fan), line roasting tray with baking parchment (you’ll thank me, see hints and tips section) and add wire rack.
2. Remove sealable bag from fridge. Carefully extract pineapple rings from bag, drain off and reserve excess marinade into a saucepan.
3. Sprinkle another 1-2 tbsp of Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head over both sides of pineapple rings. Place pineapple rings on wire rack over parchment. Put tray in oven and bake for 20-25 mins until tops are caramelised.
4. Heat up reserved marinade in saucepan and pour over pineapple rings. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a sweet dessert wine.

Cooking in a Big Green Egg

This can easily be cooked in a Big Green Egg using a plancha (or similar cast iron cooking surface). It’s a good use of heat energy in the Egg after cooking a main course with one.

1. After finishing the main course cook, set up for direct cooking (if not already done). Add a cast iron plancha (or similar) surface and get the Egg to around 260°C/500°F.
2. Enjoy your main course in the garden (of course).
3. Cook and sear pineapple rings on plancha, using reserved marinade as basting sauce and sprinkling 1-2 tbsp of Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head rub over pineapple. Flip rings periodically, takes about 15 mins in total.

Hints, Tips and Pictures

1. The baking parchment is used because if the marinade touches the roasting tray it goes as hard as a rock and is really difficult to remove.
2. Try using maple syrup instead of agave syrup.
3. Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head rub is available in the UK from Amazon.co.uk (affiliate link), BBQ Gourmet and Riverside Garden Centre.