Desserts don’t need to be complicated. Especially when made with sweet pineapple, and the riper the better. There’s something inherently good for everyone in this juicy fruit, including its support for brain health. Among its healthy components, pineapple contains potassium and folate, which is linked to increasing blood flow to the brain.
Tip
Don’t restrict yourself to macadamias. Toasted pine nuts, raw almonds, or even hazelnuts will also work beautifully. And as a little extra treat for adult taste buds only, serve with a splash of dark rum.
Grilled Honeyed Pineapple and Macadamias
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) water
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) honey
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- Coconut oil, for greasing barbecue grate
- 1 large, ripe pineapple, peeled and cored
- 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) cayenne pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) flaked coconut, lightly toasted
- 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) flaked salt
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories325
- protein5g
- fat15g
- saturated fat7g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates47g
- sugars37g
- fibre4g
- sodium113mg
Directions
01
In small saucepan, make syrup by combining water, juice, honey, and vanilla seeds. Heat to dissolve honey and stir to blend. Boil until mixture is reduced by a third and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour into 9 x 13 in (23 x 33 cm) dish. Cool mixture slightly.
02
Grease barbecue grill with oil such as coconut oil. Preheat grill to medium high.
03
Cut pineapple into 8 thick rounds or 8 wedges. Place pineapple rounds or wedges in a single layer in syrup and then flip to coat all sides.
04
Arrange pineapple on preheated grill, reserving remaining syrup. Barbecue pineapple for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and edges are golden. Remove to plate.
05
To serve, arrange 2 slices or spears of pineapple per serving onto dessert plates. Dust with a little cayenne. Dollop with yogurt and drizzle each with a little leftover syrup. Sprinkle with toasted macadamia nuts, coconut, and a few flakes of salt.
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Tourtière AU Cerf
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
Artichauts en Barigoule
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de Canut
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.