I have a pineapple sitting on my counter. Languishing. Probably wondering if it’ll just get tossed into the compost pile without a second thought.
It’s not that I don’t like pineapple. I do. Quite a bit.
But there’s that frustratingly sneaky sugar thing that I can’t have.
I was thinking though, on the coattails of my apple clafoutis, that perhaps I could make a pineapple clafoutis. A pineapple clafoutis with half the almond milk subbed out for coconut milk.
Maybe I went too far. Perhaps the coconut milk would be too much.
Maybe not.
So, I ponder. Below is the recipe I’m thinking of heavily revising (nicked from the cached version of this page). Creating some combination of it and my apple clafoutis. Since the recipe is so simple (well, the apple one was), perhaps I’ll try it this week. I’ll be sure to report back (with more alacrity than recently!) with my (hopefully tasty) results. (additionally, here’s a bit of a write up from that same place above, nicked from the cache (as the site’s a pay/registration site)). It looks a bit rough with my notes, but hopefully this’ll be a work in progress.
1/2 large pineapple (14 to 16 oz., peeled)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter (I seem to be tolerating butter all right these days, so I’ll probably use it)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (eliminate this)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar (eliminate this, maybe add a very little bit of molasses)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use the rice flour sub from the apple recipe)
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream (sub with coconut milk)
Seeds from 1/2 split vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract)
1 Tbs. rum
Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan or pie pan. (a deep cast iron pan would work great for this, I think, but I don’t have one. It’ll either be the brownie pan again, or my springform pan)
Cut the half pineapple lengthwise into four wedges. Cut the core from each wedge, cut each wedge lengthwise again to make wedges about 1 inch wide, and then cut each of these crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
Put the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat (ideally large enough to hold the pineapple in one layer). When it sizzles, add the pineapple. Give the pan a shake and then let the pineapple release its juices without stirring. Let the liquid bubble and evaporate, giving the pineapple only the occasional shake and stir. When most of the liquid has evaporated (after about 5 min.), add the brown sugar and stir again. Let the sugar bubble for about 30 seconds and then remove the pan from the heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pineapple to the prepared cake pan; reserve the juices in the pan.
Brown sugar adds a mellow sweetness to the pineapple, giving the clafoutis a complex blend of flavors.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and granulated sugar until lightly frothy and the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle or sift in the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the cream, vanilla, and rum; whisk again. Finally, add the juices from the pineapple and give the mixture one last stir. A whisk works best to gently blend the floour and eggs.
Pour the batter over the pineapple. Bake until the clafoutis is evenly puffed and golden and a skewer comes out clean, about 50 min. Serve warm.
photo: Martha Holmberg
From Fine Cooking 37, pp. 52
February 1, 2000
