Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone

by Bobby Flay with Julia Moskin
from Bobby Flay’s Boy Gets Grill
(Scribner, 2004)
Serves 6; can be doubled for 10 to 12 (no need to double the glaze)

Ripe pineapple, with its plentiful natural sugars, is ideal for grilling, and it screams “tropical” like nothing else. This makes a great dessert after spicy Latin, Indian, or Caribbean food. Make sure to let the slices brown; you want lots of those caramelized, almost burnt edges.

Mascarpone is a smooth Italian dairy product with a texture somewhere between whipped cream and cream cheese. It’s used in tiramisu and available in many supermarkets and gourmet stores, but if you can’t find it, good-quality vanilla ice cream will taste just fine.—Bobby Flay

convert Ingredients
1 cup dark rum
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
8 ounces mascarpone
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. Combine the rum, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer, whisking often, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, cooled, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

2. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a sharp knife. Whisk the mascarpone and vanilla seeds together. (The mascarpone can be made a day in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)

3. Heat your grill to high.

4. Grill the pineapple slices, brushing frequently with the glaze, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

5. Remove the pineapple to a platter or serving plates and top each slice with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.

Recipe © 2004 Boy Gets Grill, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.