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Vanilla Roasted Pineapple

A whole pineapple spiked with sticks of vanilla bean, then roasted until it is caramelized, will fill your kitchen with fragrance. If you come across little individual pineapples, allow one per person – a treat indeed.

1 large ripe pineapple
4 vanilla beans, each cut into 2-3 sticks
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup water
about 1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Cut the plume and base from the pineapple and set it upright. Following the curve of the fruit, cut away the skin and hollow out the eyes with the point of a knife. Cut our the core with an apple corer. Spear the fruit with pieces of vanilla. Stand the pineapple upright in a baking dish.

2. Heat the sugar, water, ginger, orange and lemon zest and juice in a small pan, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves. Pour the syrup over the pineapple and roast it in the oven, basting often until the pineapple browns and the syrup starts to caramelize, 1-1/4 – 1/1/2 hours. Toward the end of cooking, keep a close watch as the syrup will scorch rapidly once it cooks to a glaze.

3. Slice the pineapple into thick rings and serve warm, basted with the cooking syrup and topped with a scoop of ice cream. I often leave the pieces of vanilla bean for decoration, though I’m afraid you cannot eat them. (If you like you can wash then after use, dry them, and store in the sugar jar to make vanilla sugar.)

Shortcut: Buy a whole pineapple that has already been peeled and cored.

Getting Ahead: Roast the pineapple ahead and store it up to three days in the refrigerator. For serving, it is delicious at room temperature, or you can warm it gently in the oven.

On the Side: I like to serve it with coconut ice cream or any nut ice cream.

In the Glass: Perhaps a fruity Sauvignon Blanc – the citrus notes will complement the pineapple’s glaze.