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
Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Mascarpone
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
Directions
- 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.
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Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Mascarpone Recipe © 2004 Boy Gets Grill, Inc. Photo © 2004 Gentl & Hyers. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.
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Lori Widmeyer
I have made this twice in the last week, both times with great results. The second time was the best, because I made the vanilla mascarpone enough in advance to really let the vanilla flavor come through. The warmth of the pineapple starts melting the mascarpone so it gets creamier and starts to spread, making each bite a perfect combination of warm, cool, strong, mild, sweet, tart…heaven. This is one of those desserts that looks so lovely you want people to see it — the glazed pineapple is amazing, and the contrast of colors, flavors, and temperature with the blueberries, strawberries we added, and the mascarpone is perfect.