In Hawaii, pineapple is used SO many ways! It’s practically a staple ingredient in local cooking. This simple dessert is perfect for a summer barbeque dinner party –grilled tropical fruit, vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of fudge sauce. YUM!!!
Their beautiful, sweet, Maui Gold Pineapple unfortunately isn’t exported to the mainland, but marinating the pineapple helps considerably with the sweetness.It’s easy to prepare the marinade in the morning; grill the pineapple while you’re eating dinner, then assemble the dessert bowls in front of the guests near the barbeque station.
1-2 fresh, ripe pineapples; peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 inch slices (you’ll get an average of 5-6 slices per pineapple)
Marinade (this recipe will cover one sliced pineapple):
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup dark rum (Optional, but really tasty! If you leave out rum, add an additional 1/2 cup of water.)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp table salt (this will also help sweeten the pineapple)
You will also need:
Cooking spray or vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil, too overpowering)
Good-quality jarred chocolate fudge sauce (Miss Party Smarty loves Stonewall Kitchen’s Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce!)
Good-quality vanilla bean ice cream
1) In medium bowl, mix water, dark rum, brown sugar, lemon juice and salt until sugar dissolves. Place pineapple slices in liquid and let marinate for 1-2 hours minimum, but can be longer. Refrigerate while marinating.
2) Heat the grill on medium-high heat. Scrub the grill racks well to remove residue from previous meat grilling. Spray grill racks with spray oil or brush on oil.
3) Place pineapple slices directly on grates. Watch them carefully, turn slices once grill marks appear (about 6-8 minutes). When grill marks are apparent on second side, remove to a plate to cool. They will cook a total of about 15 minutes.
4) To assemble dessert bowls, Put several scoops of vanilla bean ice cream in bowl, lay a pineapple ring along one side of the ice cream, drizzle with fudge sauce. Serve immediately.
