Caramelised roasted pineapple with fragrant vanilla and spiced rum is the ultimate tropical treat. A beautiful desert to simply end a very hot day or something to remind you of the sunny days when its freezing cold outside.
There are lots of variations of roasted pineapple around with different flavour combinations and if ice cream isn’t your thing swap it out for creme fraiche, coconut yogurt or have it on its own.
I really love this dish. It’s simple but the flavours are so on point.
This is also a great recipe for gatherings. It doesn’t involve much prep and it’s easy enough to put on the barbecue – make sure you baste and turn it over often so it cooks evenly.
Pineapple is often just sliced and eaten as it is which is great but there’s so much more you can do with it. Roasting them is one way and it definitely enhances the natural flavour!
Make sure you get ripe pineapples – sniff the bottom of them and they should smell fragrant, look out for withered leaves or if unripe wait around a week before using them.
I used the very tropical Red Leg Spiced Rum which is infused with Jamaican ginger and vanilla, it works a treat here. Serve up with vanilla ice cream and sprinkle over torn mint leaves!
Serves 4
Prep 15 mins
Cook 50 mins
Total 55 mins
Ingredients
1 large ripe pineapple
125ml maple syrup
1 vanilla pod, cut lengthways and seeds scraped out
150ml spiced rum
30g unsalted butter
A pinch of sea salt
Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
2 tbsp mint leaves, torn (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5/375F. Using a sharp knife cut the top and bottom of the pineapple. With the pineapple sitting on a chopping board carefully remove its rough skin (try not to take too much of the fruit off).
Using a small sharp knife remove the holes or ‘eyes’ by cutting diagonally around the pineapple, removing the flesh and creating a spiral pattern (see here).
Put maple syrup, vanilla pod and seeds, rum and butter in a small pan. Stir over a low heat and add a pinch of sea salt once the butter has melted. Simmer for a couple of minutes until it starts to bubble.
Put the pineapple on a small baking tray on its side and pour over the syrup making sure it’s completely covered. Roast for 50 minutes, basting and turning the pineapple every 10 minutes to ensure its evenly cooked.
Once the pineapple is caramelised and tender remove from the oven and leave to cool. Throw away the vanilla pod and reserve any leftover syrup to serve.
Cut the pineapple lengthways into slices, drizzle over the syrup and serve with vanilla ice cream and torn mint leaves.
Notes
*Watch the video to see how to properly cut the eyes from the pineapple. To make this vegan just omit the butter and serve with vegan ice cream.
