Simple French Cooking

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Caramelized Pineapple with Vanilla and Rum Sauce

Ok, everyone, I have a quick and easy recipe for you to try this weekend that is designed to lift you out of the 'end of winter dreariness' and straight into the rum-tinged warm tropical breezes of summer. Today I am going to teach you how to make Caramelized Pineapple with Vanilla and Rum Sauce. The perfect 'Happy Ending' to a great homecooked weekend meal.

Step One: Cleaning the Pineapple

If you are feeling inspired you can take a pair of scissors and clip all the sharp, spiky ends of the pineapple leaves. It is much quicker and easier to simply lop off the top of the pineapple and won't change the flavor one bit. Trim the bottom off.Starting from the top, use a serrated knife to remove the skin and all the little brown eyes. Cut the pineapple in half, all the way from the top to the bottom. Then cut each half into quarters lengthwise.  Remove the core from each piece using your serrated knife.

Step Two: Mise en Place (your prep to finish the dish)

'Mise En Place' translates to "everything in its place", and is a term that chefs use to describe the various small preparations necessary to complete a dish. It is a great way to organize and simplify cooking into small steps ready to finish a dish quickly. Often your mise en place can be done a day ahead so you can enjoy your guests rather than spending all your time in the kitchen.

Rum Vanilla Syrup

A simple syrup infused with rum and vanilla beans.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp dark rum
  • 3 vanilla beans (you can substitute 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
  • 1 star anise
  1. Bring sugar and water to a rapid boil and turn off. Cut your vanilla beans in half and scrape the seeds out, saving for vanilla butter. Add rum, vanilla beans, and star anise to the syrup and let cool. Strain before using.

 

Vanilla Butter

A simple and easy to make vanilla butter that tastes great smeared on French Toast or even pancake.

  • 4 ounces butter (at room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 vanilla beans (use the seeds from the syrup recipe)
  1. Mix everything together well.

Step Three: Cooking the Pineapple

Heat two tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan till it is turning light brown and foaming. Put your pineapple pieces in and cook till brown on both sides, about five minutes. Add the rum vanilla syrup, and bring to a boil. If you wanted you could stop here and let the pineapple marinate in the syrup overnight.

Step Four: The Happy Ending

If you are continuing with the recipe simply whisk in the vanilla butter. Put one pineapple piece on a plate and cover in the vanilla and rum sauce. If you are reheating, simply bring everything back to a boil, let simmer for three minutes to warm the pineapple up, then whisk in vanilla butter.Whatever way you end up doing it make sure to serve with a scoop of either vanilla ice or salted caramel.Be sure and post a picture of your dessert with the hashtag #PistouAndPastis.We love seeing what you're eating.