Thanks to our friend and  fellow blogger Vicki of Unusual Coleslaw, an infinite collection of curious recipes by home cooks in South Australia, for photographs of her gorgeous glowing Halloween Pineapples!!

http://unusualcoleslaw.blogspot.com

The romance of pineapple with Barbara Cartland

The Romance of Food, Barbara Cartland, photography by David Johnson (author photo by Norman Parkinson, line drawings by Roger Hall) 1984 England

“Cooking is an Art! Food should delight the eyes, then the mind and eventually the stomach. Food and Love have had a close relationship all through the ages.

No one understands that better than the French to whom cooking is a sacred trust handed down from generation to generation. . .

Every Frenchman chooses his food with the same care, and the same concentration, as when he chooses a woman to love.

And his Food must inspire – stimulate – satisfy!

I have found in my research that every plant, herb, leaf and fruit has, at some time, been known for its aphrodisiacal powers.

What wise women, the witches, the gypsies and young girls seeking a husband can also give us are a list of those which are definitely magical.

Yet just as with the Greeks, Romans, the Arabs and the Hindus, some of their recipes may seem ludicrous, others are successfully stimulating to love and most important, highly nutritious!

I hope this book brings you both.” Barbara Cartland.

Pineapple Alaska

3 egg whites; 175g/6oz caster sugar; 4 pineapple rings; 300ml/1/2 pint strawberry ice cream; glacé cherries for decoration

Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff then add the sugar and continue whisking until very stiff. Place a pineapple ring in each of 4 ramekins or cocotte dishes, then pack the ice cream on top and pipe the meringue over each one, making sure the ice cream is covered completely.

Decorate with glacé cherries, place on a baking sheet, and bake in a very hot oven, 230-240 C, 450-475 F, gas 8-9, for 4-5 minutes. Serve at once.

Serves 4

And here are some of my favorites photographs from the book, Anne

French toast with a tropical twist

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, Jessica Seinfeld, illustrations by Steve Vance 2007 New York

French Toast

Serves 4

4 large eggs; 2 tblspn banana or pineapple or sweet potato or carrot or butternut squash puree, or canned pumpkin; ¼ tsp cinnamon; 4 slices whole-wheat bread; nonstick cooking spray; 2 tspn trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread; pure maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar or fresh fruit, for serving; flaxseed meal (optional)

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, puree, and cinnamon. Add the bread slices and turn them in the mixture to soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute (any longer and the bread will get soggy)

2. Coat a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet with cookery spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the margarine. When the margarine sizzles, add the soaked bread slices (sprinkle with flaxseed if you like) and cook until golden brown on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve warm with syrup, confectioners’ sugar, or fruit.

I made a kiwi fruit and pineapple puree to add to the egg mix, and served the fried toast with fresh fruit and maple syrup. A delicious, nutritious breakfast! Anne

Jazz Cooks: Portraits and Recipes of the Greats, Bob Young and Al Stankus, photography by Deborah Feingold,1992 USA

The Michele Rosewoman Trio performing 'From Tear To Here'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpMqSkNEdlU&list=PL4HiWc-wk40Wk5hKVMmcXXfOUrZetaTVI&index=6

Michele Rosewood, pianist/composer: Turbo Salmon

A fabulous recipe in a great book – highly recommended, Anne

Serves 2

1 tblsp sesame oil; 1 big onion, cut into 8 chunks; 1 tblsp margarine (or butter); oregano; salt and pepper; 2 salmon steaks or fillets, washed and dried; 1 big tomato, cut in 8 chunks; 1 to 2 tblsp (or more) orange juice or orange-pineapple juice; juice of 1 to 2 lemons; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; about 5 sprigs cilantro; 4 tblsp dry white wine or dry sherry; 2 to 3 tblsp soy sauce, or 1 to 2 tblsp tamari; basil

In a cast-iron frying pan, warm the sesame oil. Add the onion and sauté, until browned. Add the margarine (or butter). Sprinkle in the oregano, salt and pepper. Place the salmon in the pan and turn over after 1 minute. (Note: while the dish is cooking, the salmon should be turned several times) Add more of the seasonings followed by the tomato. 

Keep the pan from getting too dry by adding the orange (or orange-pineapple) juice and/or some of the lemon juice. Add the garlic and cilantro. (“Cilantro is a key ingredient”, the pianist says, “so use as much as you want. I use a lot.”) 

Add the rest of the lemon juice, the wine (or sherry), and soy sauce (or tamari). Season with the basil. “The amount of sauce can be controlled by adding more fruit juice, soy sauce, or wine – but don’t add water. The thickness can also be controlled by the heat. A high heat will make a thicker sauce, lower heat a thinner sauce.”

Continue to turn the fish every 1 or 2 minutes, cooking for a total of about 8 minutes, or until the salmon shows a thin strip of pink in the center. Turn off the heat when the salmon is at this stage. Cover, and serve in 5 minutes with cous cous and a salad.

How we serve pineapple in Hawaii

How We Serve Hawaiian Canned Pineapple, Hawaiian Pineapple Packers Association, Honolulu Hawaii, originally published 1914

"This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilisation as we know it." Google Books

Recipe by Josephine Grenier in Harper’s Bazar:

“Hawaiian Canned Pineapple is delicious, even better than home made, and goes farther in cooking” Josephine Grenier

Pineapple and Ice Cream

Take large fine slices of canned Hawaiian pineapple and arrange on a flat glass dish; on each one put a spoonful of ice cream or stiffly whipped cream sweetened and flavored, and top with a cherry. Serve well chilled.

A classic!

Recipe by Helen Louise Johnson:

Baked Apples

Pare and core the apples. Fill the centers with grated Hawaiian pineapple to which has been added a little melted butter and some sultana raisins. Put the apples in a pan with a little water to which has been added a teaspoonful of lemon juice and bake until tender, but they should not lose their shape. Baste frequently, remove from the oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar to which has been added a little cinnamon.

Choc-dipped pineapple

Toll House Heritage Cookbook: A collection of favourite dessert recipes, 1980 Nestlé company, New York

Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

2 cups Nestlé Semi-Sweet Real Chocolate Morsels; ¼ cup shortening; fresh strawberries, washed and dried, or mandarin orange slices, drained, or pineapple chunks, drained, or maraschino cherries, drained

Over hot (not boiling) water, combine Nestlé Semi-Sweet Real Chocolate Morsels and shortening; stir until morsels melt and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat but keep chocolate over hot water. (if chocolate begins to set, return to heat. Add 1 to 2 measuring teaspoons shortening, stir until smooth.) Dip pieces of desired fruit into chocolate mixture, shaking off excess chocolate. Place on foil-lined cookie sheets. Chill in refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes until chocolate is set. Gently loosen fruit from foil with metal spatula. Chocolate-Dipped Fruit may be kept at room temperature up to 1 hour. If chocolate becomes sticky, return to refrigerator.

I used chocolate melts without any added shortening. There was no need to refrigerate the chocolate coated fruit as they were all eaten immediately!!! Anne

The Toll House was built in 1709 in Massachusetts and “became a haven where weary travellers stopped for food, drink and rest while they waited for a change of horses.” When Mr and Mrs Wakefield bought the Toll Hose in 1930 they turned it into an Inn. “

"An excellent cook, Mrs Wakefield experimented with and improved upon many old dessert recipes ultimately inventing the famous Toll House cookie using tiny chopped up pieces of chocolate in a colonial cookie recipe." Needless to say Nestlé caught on and developed chocolate morsels which we in Australia call choc chips.