I remember the first time I ever saw a field of pineapples. My (soon-to-be) husband and I were on our way to Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, and we were so amazed by the sight of the massive pineapple plantation that we stopped by the side of the road to take photographs.
We were travelling through pineapple country - the major growing regions in Australia being South East the Sunshine Coast hinterlands in south east Queensland; as well as Maryborough and Wide Bay, the Yeppoon district, and north, all the way up to Mareeba and Mosman.
It was the summer of 1976 and the image, which is still in one of my old albums, has turned a pretty hue of pink now, otherwise I might share it with you. A few kilometres down the road, we stopped in at The Big Pineapple in Nambour and tasted some of that fresh fruit. It was exquisite. Sun-warmed, ripe and perfectly sweet. Australian pineapples are available all year round, and from now through until February they are at their best in terms of value. The good people at Australian Pineapples kindly sent me a couple of pineapples recently. I so wish that you could have been in my kitchen at the time. Oh, the aroma! Coincidentally, I had some blood oranges in the fridge, from my grower friends at Redbelly Citrus, so I hunted through my library of cookbooks for a recipe that teamed the two. The recipe I'm sharing has been adapted from one that appeared in Australian Gourmet Traveller's Simple (ACP, 2003). I used only half a pineapple, less oranges, and also cut down the quantity of sugar. Unlike the former days of gluttony and hedonism, Peter and I no longer eat a dessert every evening - so this was quite a treat! CARAMELISED SPICED PINEAPPLE & BLOOD ORANGE DESSERT 1/4 cup caster sugar zest of a lime and one blood orange 1/2 cup water 1 small star anise 1 vanilla bean, split 400g fresh pineapple 2 fresh blood oranges 2 tablespoons vanilla infused caster sugar, extra 1/2 teaspoon olive oil Combine the 1/4 cup of caster sugar with the water, zest, star anise and vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Stir the mixture over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the stove and set the syrup aside to cool. Peel the pineapple and cut it into slices around 1cm in thickness. Cut away the rind and bitter white pith from the oranges and cut the orange into 1cm slices. Sprinkle the extra caster sugar over the fruit. Brush or spray a non-stick frypan with the oil and cook the pineapple and orange slices, turning once, until nicely caramelised. Allow the fruit to cool slightly. Arrange the fruit in a serving bowl and drizzle over the cooled syrup. Refrigerate the dessert until ready to serve. This quantity will serve 4 and takes almost no time to make. If you like you can serve it with spiced mascarpone cream or a Greek yoghurt.
Over to you now, dear readers. Do you like fresh pineapple? Is it readily available in your part of the world? What's your favourite way of eating it?
26 Comments
25/10/2016 12:05:23 am
I love eating fresh raw pineapples but cannot eat them when cooked as they are too sweet for me then.
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 12:10:28 am
That's interesting, Tandy. Must admit, we usually eat ours in a chicken curry.
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Fiona Ryan
25/10/2016 12:55:41 am
My word - that looks great! Some years the pineapples aren't that great but this season I've already had two that have been perfect - sweet and juicy and mellow without a hint of tartness.
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 01:00:29 am
Thanks Fiona... it was rather nice. And tasted great on day two as well. But then, the pineapple was superb!
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 06:12:04 pm
Thank you, Mae. I hope to go to Hawaii someday, so perhaps I will taste them there too!
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 06:13:01 pm
Hi lovely Mandy! Ooooh, chilli salt on pineapple! I like the sound of that. Have a great week xx
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 06:13:41 pm
Hello Gerlinde. We were married about the same time, then. I was married in 1978. Thank you for your kind words xx
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Hi Liz, you can get pineapples over here in Summer but they are pretty expensive and you can't guarantee the quality so I rarely bother. I have probably bought two or three in my life. In any event, I am not a big fan of pineapple - I particularly hate the tin stuff and have a heart attack if I see a piece on a pizza. :)
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 06:15:23 pm
Really, Glenda? Wow, I had no idea that you cannot readily get pineapples over your way. Well, at least if you hate it, it's a good thing. : )
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25/10/2016 04:13:32 pm
I have migrated to Noosa from Sydney and at the moment small, juicy, sweet pineapples are in abundance, as are mangos. Directly from the farmers they're unbelievably cheap (5 for $2!!).
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 06:16:14 pm
Hi Tania, lovely to hear from you! Yes, I love mango with lime and chilli too. So yummy! Thank you for stopping by.
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I don't remember the last time I bought a pineapple, although I've eaten it fresh for breakfast in hotels on our recent travels. Of course, the Australian product is so much tastier!
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 11:25:00 pm
Thanks so much, Amanda! Yes, we rarely eat pines these days either, with just the two of us at home.
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Eha
25/10/2016 08:44:48 pm
Am not really a pineapple gal nor do I oft make dessert but this one does appeal! Don't have Tania Layden's luck in living THAT close to where they grow [oh why the heck did I move south from Qld :) ?] or be able to buy as cheaply but have to splurge 'cause blood oranges and pines do not usually inhabit this universe together!!!! Lucky you!!!!!!
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 11:25:55 pm
So true, Eha... I bought myself some more blood oranges today, as I love them (the ones from Redbelly Citrus). You moved south because the weather is better XXX
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25/10/2016 08:54:19 pm
We can no longer eat dessert every night either. Oh well -- probably a good thing, all in all. Anyway, this is actually a pretty healthy dessert! Lovely flavor, and great way to use pineapple. Thanks!
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 11:26:24 pm
Thank you, John, a good sometimes dessert food x
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25/10/2016 09:16:42 pm
Mum and I drove up the Queensland coast in 1972 for six months with a tiny caravan hitched behind our Datsun 1600. I have such wonderful memories of that trip. We fell in love with Noosa at first sight and often returned in later years for family holidays.
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Lizzy
25/10/2016 11:27:10 pm
Oh Jen, what a great story! Loved reading this. Do you know, I'm pretty sure we had one of those sundaes too! xx
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Jeni from Northern Rivers Dreaming
26/10/2016 12:47:59 am
Those sundaes were quite unusual back them. I remember Mum called them "American style sundaes" because they were so huge! We'd just come back from a couple of years in New Guinea so dairy products were still a bit treat for me, and these were full of ice cream and whipped cream, plus nuts and fresh fruit. My eyes were definitely bigger than my tummy! 26/10/2016 01:38:46 am
I love the new types of pineapple that don't hurt your tongue. They are so sweet and smooth that it is a pleasure to eat them!
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29/10/2016 07:57:51 pm
What a lovely dessert, the caramelization must add the most wonderful flavor!
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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