Dragon-skin pears

Adapted from Amy Magill's contribution in Chotsie Blank & Ann Seymour’s 1982 “California Artists Cook Book”

Serves 4 to 8

Approx 3 cups assorted fresh, canned or candied fruit ie pineapple, papaya, mandarin, lychees, kumquats, candied ginger cut in 1.5cm chunks or cubes; 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice; 1 cup sugar; 2 tblspn Grand Marnier or other fruit liqueur (optional); ¼ tsp five-spice powder (optional); 4 barely ripe pears, with attractive skin markings; ½ cup brandy, heated

Spear the fruit chunks or cubes onto 24 toothpicks, alternating colours and flavours and making them look as attractive as possible. Set aside.

Stir the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, boil 2 minutes, and reduce the heat to very low. Stir in the optional liqueur and five-spice powder and any syrups from canned fruits you have used.

Cut the pears in half and core them. Slide them into the simmering syrup, raise the heat slightly, and poach 3 to 10 minutes. The time will depend on the ripeness of the pears. They should be poached til tender but not mushy. Transfer the pears, skin up, to a warm platter, stick 3 of the toothpicks in each half.

Ignite the heated brandy and pour over the pears. The effect should be a cluster of flaming jewels.

Toffeed Pineapple and Marmalade Mascapone Vol-au-vents

Adapted from a recipe in July 2006 New Zealand House and Garden magazine. These are easy and delicious. The original recipe gives instructions on how to make the vol-au-vents from scratch - but I cheated and bought ready mades in the supermarket that were light and crisp, Anne

Serves 4

50g butter; 80g caster sugar (I used brown sugar); ½ pineapple, peeled, cored and flesh cut into 2cm chunks; 150ml cream; 100g mascarpone; 2 tblspn fine cut marmalade (I used pineapple and macadamia jam); 1 tblspn brandy or rum

Place butter in a wide pan and cook over moderate heat until a light nut brown. Add caster (or brown) sugar and cook stirring often until caramelised and golden. Add the pineapple – it will make the caramel seize but keep cooking and eventually it will melt again. Cover pan and cook pineapple until it’s easy to push a knife through. Add cream and gently boil, uncovered, 8-10 minutes to reduce liquid a little.

Combine the mascarpone, marmalade, brandy or rum. To serve dollop mascarpone into warmed vol-au-vets. Spoon hot pineapple on top and drizzle with sauce from the pan. Serve immediately.

Thanks for the lovely jam hamper Griffith family!! 

Pineapple Rum Cake

https://thepineappleeverything.com/blogs/pineapple-news

Dangerously Delicious Pineapple Rum Cake

“Easy Tips & Tricks from the website:

Using your favourite boxed cake mix will make this so much easier for you. However, if you prefer making it from scratch, that works too!

Use an instant vanilla pudding mix, NOT a cook & serve.

Prepare a 10-inch bundt pan by spraying it generously with a floured baking spray.

Use pineapple tidbits, NOT crushed. You’ll toss the pineapple into 2 tablespoons or so of the dry flour/pudding mixture, to suspend the pineapple in the batter and prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Drain the pineapple well and reserve the pineapple juice!

Use a dark rum for a bolder flavour.

This cake is freezable so if you'd like to preserve some for a later date, that works too! Once you'd like to reserve, let it thaw for at least 12 hours in the fridge.”

Pineapple Rum Cake Recipe:

Ingredients: 1 box of yellow cake mix; 1 box of instant vanilla pudding; 2 ½  cups of pineapple pieces drained well with juice reserved; ½ cup reserved pineapple juice; 4 eggs; ½ cup canola oil; ½ cup dark rum

Rum Glaze: 1/2 cup unsalted butter; ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice; 1 cup granulated sugar; ½ cup dark rum

Instructions:

The Cake:

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). and prepare a 25cm (10 inch) bundt pan by generously spraying it with a floured baking spray. You can also generously butter it and sprinkle with flour.

Drain pineapple pieces in a colander placed over a medium bowl to reserve the juice.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix.

Place the pineapple into a small bowl and toss with two tablespoons of the cake/pudding mixture. Coat completely.

Add the eggs, ½ cup pineapple juice, canola oil, and ½ cup of rum in the cake mix.  Mix completely.

With a rubber spatula, fold in the coated pineapple pieces.

Gently pour batter into the pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

The Rum Glaze:

Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add ½ cup of dark rum. Mix well.

Glazing the cake: 

Remove cake from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

While still in the pan, poke holes with a skewer all the way around the bottom of the cake. Using 1/3 of the glaze, gently brush the bottom of the cake, allowing the glaze to soak into it.

Let cake sit for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.

Gently brush the remainder of the glaze all over the cake, pausing at times to give the cake time to absorb it. Using two hard spatulas, slowly and gently transfer the cake to a serving plate. Cool completely.

If serving the next day, cover the top with toothpicks and gently cover with a tent of aluminium foil when completely cooled.

The cake can be frozen for up to a month. Cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminium foil. 

Ideal for a lunch in the garden with extra syrup and yoghurt, mmm, Anne

Boozy Pineapple

The Boozy Chef, Recipes for Drinkers who love to Cook, Suzanne Dixon-Hudson c1980s Sydney

Pineapple and Vodka Surprise  

“A pleasant change from vodka and orange”

1 ripe pineapple; zest and juice 1 orange; 3 tblsp brown sugar; 2/3 cup vodka; 300ml cream; 4 tblsp chopped fresh mint

Plan of attack:

Preheat oven to 200⁰C (400⁰F)

Peel and chop pineapple into bite-sized chunks. Place in ovenproof dish and cover with orange juice and zest. Sprinkle with 2 tblsp brown sugar and drown with at least ½ cup vodka.

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes whilst you prepare the mint cream.

Whip cream, add mint, 1 tblspn sugar and remaining vodka and serve with the hot pineapple.

Serves 6

Illuminated Pineapple

Super Natural Cookery: Recipes for Vegetarian Gourmets, Written by Jim Corlett, Illustrations by Dave Colin New Zealand 1978

Les Doigts d’Ananas aux Doigts

“These are, if you want it in English, fingers of pineapple eaten with the fingers. Simply cut the pineapple from top to bottom 8-12 times to make long sections – as shown below.

Serve with a candle in the top, and congratulate yourself on having avoided the messy cutting off of the rind. Besides, it’s perfectly correct as it is perfectly Hawaiian” Jim Corlett.

Flaming Pineapple  

If you have the patience, you can peel the pineapple, and then cut it into cubes. Sprinkle on a bit of raw dark brown sugar, or spread on one of the more exotic honeys, such as cactus or citrus blossom. Grill for a moment until the pineapple is thoroughly warmed and the sweetener melted in. Remove from heat and garnish with ‘roses’ made from whipped double cream piped on with a pastry tube. If your views on alcohol will allow you to use a bit in cooking, pour a brandy over the cubes, and set on fire at serving time.

We tossed some freshly picked blueberries on top of the cream and the flavours were wonderful!

For all the fun, and pure pineapple, merely soak the leaves in brandy, and fire them. Spectacular in a dark room for a party.

 

Just to be safe we put our pineapple outside on a rock. Les sliced the top leaves off and dried then in a slow oven before soaking in alcohol. We pegged the leaves back on with a toothpick. It really was spectacular and the pineapple remained totally unharmed and edible! Anne

Pineapple on the terrace.

The Terrace Times Cook Book, Paddington Edition by Helen Arbib and Pauline Clements, Australia 1976

“Pineapple Romanoff  is a sweet which depends on a particularly well-stocked drink cabinet.”

Halve a pineapple, remove the fruit, slice away the hard core and cut out the rest into cubes.

Toss the cubes in sugar. Marinate, in a covered jar in the refrigerator, in 3 tablespoons white rum; 3 tablespoons cointreau, or 1 ½ tablespoons each of brandy and orange juice and the grated rind of an orange.

Before serving, whip 1 carton cream; Add 3 tablespoons kirsch.

Place pineapple in hollowed pineapple halves, and spoon the cream mixture over the top.

"Fruits De Luxe is a dessert we reserve for only the most important occasions. Nonetheless it is simplicity itself to prepare."

Chill 1 small bottle of champagne.

Combine 1 punnet ripe red strawberries

2 large ripe peaches, sliced if in season

1 tin sliced peaches, if not

1 small ripe pineapple, cut into cubes

Marinate, in a covered jar in the refrigerator, in ½ cup brandy.

Come the moment, half-fill six goblets – and add the champagne at the table. Very impressive.

If you want to serve the fruit less dramatically, you can pass around a sauce made from

1 carton sour cream

1 tblspn icing sugar

1 ½ tblsp brandy or kirsch