Photo: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post
This luscious dessert is packed with island flavor and satisfies a sweet tooth healthfully. Grilling rings of pineapple caramelizes the fruit’s natural sugars and creates appealing grill marks. The dessert gets another dimension of Caribbean flair with a sprinkle of warm, aromatic allspice, and it’s topped off with a luscious coconut whipped cream.
The coconut whipped cream isn’t necessarily better for you than regular whipped cream. But a little goes a long way, it keeps the dish vegan-friendly and it has such an intense, craveable coconut flavor that it makes you see palm trees.
The pineapple also can be cooked on an outdoor grill. (Remember to brush the grates with oil.) If you have a pineapple corer, use it to remove the core before you cut the pineapple into rings.
Make Ahead: The can of coconut milk needs to be refrigerated for at least 5 hours and up to 1 day in advance. You’ll have whipped coconut cream left over; it can be refrigerated for at least 1 month. Ellie Krieger likes to refrigerate the beaters she uses for the coconut whipped cream; you can chill them along with the canned coconut milk.
Ingredients
One 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 fresh whole pineapple
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Canola oil, for the grill pan
2 teaspoons fresh mint leaves (whole or chopped), for garnish
Directions
Chill the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours and up to 1 day.
Remove it from the refrigerator without shaking it or moving it too much. Transfer what has congealed at the top to a mixer bowl, being careful not to include any of the liquid. The yield should be about ¾ cup of solid coconut cream.
Add the sugar to the bowl; whip with chilled beaters (optional; see headnote) on medium-high speed (stand mixer or handheld electric mixer) until the coconut cream is glossy and firm enough for a spatula to leave tracks that remain. The yield is about 1 cup.
Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Cut away and discard the skin and any brown spots on the fruit. Cut the pineapple flesh crosswise into eight equal slices (about ½ inch thick). Use a spoon or apple corer to carve out the center core of each slice to create rings. Sprinkle the allspice evenly over each pineapple ring (on one side only).
Brush a large grill pan lightly with the oil and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches and adjusting the heat as needed, cook the pineapple rings for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until they are nicely browned and grill marks have appeared.
To serve, place 2 pineapple rings on each serving dish. Top each with a small dollop (2 teaspoons) of the coconut whipped cream, and garnish with mint.
Makes 4 servings
Per serving: Calories 90; Total Fat 5g (Saturated fat 3g); Carbohydrates 21g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Protein 0g; Sodium 0mg; Cholesterol 0mg
*Photo Credit Deb Lindsey www.deblindsey.com
Copyright 2016 Ellie Krieger All rights reserved
