Recipe for grilled maple-chipotle pineapple rings
When I was in grade school, I commandeered a shelf in our refrigerator for a science experiment involving pineapple and... something else, I can't remember what. The something made the pineapple bubble and ooze up over its dish, and as I recall, that meant the experiment was a success. My mother forgave me, eventually, after making me scrub the inside of the fridge, and for many years I stayed clear of pineapple, but now I love it. (Do you know how to choose a ripe pineapple? First, smell. It should have a strong pineapple aroma. Second, gently tug on one of the inner leaves. It should pull out easily. Third, the fruit should feel heavy for its size.) We're grilling pretty much everything these days, so I glazed ripe pineapple rings with a simple maple-chipotle sauce, and tossed them on my panini press. Sweetness made even sweeter. A scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt would be the perfect topper.
Grilled maple-chipotle pineapple rings
From the pantry, you'll need: maple syrup, lime, chipotle pepper in adobo, kosher salt.
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 large pineapple
Directions
In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup, lime juice, adobo sauce and salt, and set aside.
Heat a panini press or stovetop grill pan.
Peel the pineapple and slice into thick rings, approximately 1/4-3/8 inch thick. Try as hard as you can to make the rings uniform in width (it's not easy, as you can see in my photos!).
Set the rings on your cutting board. Use a 1-1/2 inch pastry cutter to remove the center core of each slice. Twist the pastry cutter to get it through the pineapple, and rotate it a few times to be sure the fruit is cut all the way through. Remove the cores and discard.
Use a pastry brush to paint the slices on both sides with the maple syrup mixture. Place 3 or 4 rings on the preheated panini press, and close the top. Baste the top of the pineapple rings with the maple syrup mixture every 1-2 minutes; the fruit will cook for 4-5 minutes total. If you like the criss-cross grill marks, rotate the pineapple slices halfway through the cooking. Continue until all of the rings are cooked.
Serve warm, or make ahead and chill.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Grilled peaches with balsamic and granola
Grilled fruit with cardamom yogurt
Love in pieces
Pineapple shrimp curry
Pineapple-cucumber salad
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Orange and endive salad with maple chipotle vinaigrette, from TastingSpoons
Sweet potato and kale salad with cranberry-chipotle sauce, from We are not Martha
Pineapple salsa, from Two Peas & Their Pod
Mexican hot dogs with pineapple salsa and chipotle mayonnaise, from Homesick Texan
Smoky burger sliders with grilled pineapple and chipotle mayonnaise, from Cookin' Canuck
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Oh, my goodness, Lydia, these pineapple rings sound incredible. You've got my taste buds going this morning for sure! Love the flavor combo! :-)
Shirley
Very informative and enticing!
Love the maple chipotle treatment!! You and I were on the same grilled pineapple-chile wavelength this week - I made little appetizers with grilled pineapple, fresh basil and pepper jack cheese on bamboo toothpicks for a cooking segment. I can just imagine the smoky chipotles...mmm!
Shirley, my husband loved these cold for breakfast! A bit indulgent, but every now and then, why not?
Laura, yep, and delicious, too.
Kathy, you've inspired me to do more with my panini press.
While I have grilled pineapple many times, the glaze has always been a sweet one. Adding some heat is a great idea. I once read that when you get your pineapple home, you should store it upside down to help redistribute the juice, before cutting. Don't know if it really helps, but I've been doing it ever since!
If you eat a lot of fresh pineapple, I highly recommend one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-Pineapple-Slicer-sizes/dp/B00005AS57/ref=pd_sbs_k_6
It's done in a flash, and with far less waste.
This looks amazing, and easy, too - bet it would be heaven on a burger! I'm loving grilled fruit this year, awesome recipe addition! Thanks for sharing it :)
Pattypro, I've never heard that about storing pineapple upside down, but I'm going to try it! As for the pineapple slicer, I'm generally not a fan of single-purpose kitchen tools. A nice sharp knife works well, but thanks for sharing the link.
Gina, never thought about it, but maybe on a turkey burger?
Lydia, I feel the same way about single-use tools, but, for me, this is totally worth the space it takes up.
Regardless, there's nothing better than fresh pineapple, no matter how you slice it. ; >
I found this to be a great side to a fish dinner as we used this over the weekend. As someone mentioned above, it was very easy and can compliment many dishes.
It's been a long time since I've done anything with a "real" pineapple, meaning "fresh." I'm about to re-enter the grilling world with a new grill just purchased. This could be a great initiation!
Kristy, glad you tried it!
TW, what a fun way to christen a new grill.
Fresh pineapple is heavenly but grilled fresh pineapple is indescribably good! Sorry 'bout the science experiment gone bad. :)
Jackie, it was 50 (gulp!) years ago. I imagine my mother laughed about it for many years.
I must be losing any ounce of creativity I ever had, because these are just beyond my ability! I mean, they look incredible, but I would never have thought of them. Something to try very soon!
Mimi, you can throw almost any type of firm fruit on the grill -- watermelon? nectarines? -- and it just makes the sweetness sweeter. Add some chipotle and maple syrup, and gild the lily!
You are making me crave grilled pineapple! This looks incredible!
@Lydia, I tried grilled watermelon, and unless I didn't grill it properly, I really didn't like the taste it gave it.
I got here via The Kitchn and am so glad I did! We've got a pineapple on the counter and I fell in love with Tabasco's chipotle sauce this summer, so I feel like this is meant to be. Will be trying this on our outdoor grill!
Gorgeous, Lydia! And I think Ted's right on about the breakfast idea, sure it's got a little maple syrup but so do pancakes and French toast and and and and ...
Wow! Great pineapple idea - I was recently wishing I had some pineapple for a "Hawaiian burger"
Also thanks to the comment above with a link to the slicer I now have a Christmas gift for my "hard-to-buy-for-has-everything" mother!
Patsy, so good, and so easy, with great pantry ingredients.
Edgar, perhaps it's an acquired taste? I think if you start with a very sweet watermelon, grilling will only make it sweeter. After it's grilled, try sprinkling some kosher salt on it.
Lorena, you are all set to make this! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for stopping by.
Alanna, Ted has the sweet tooth in our family, and as much as he liked this for dessert, I think he liked it even more for breakfast!
Carol, wouldn't this be great on a turkey burger? And glad to help with that holiday shopping, too!
i'm totally using my panini press to grill fruit now!
I have to tell you that this has become my" go to" dessert for family and friends. It is lick the bowl delicious. I serve it with a dollop of ice cream and drizzle leftover marinade over it. I have made it countless people since you posted it and it has ALWAYS been a hit!!! My kids tell me that it should be made into an ice cream flavor...