If all you’ve been grilling thus far have been hamburgers and hot dogs, get ready to add some flavor to your fire. Roasting and grilling can enhance the taste of fruit, especially sugary ones like pineapple. Refreshing when it’s cut into cubes and serve chilled, the tropical fruit gets a delicious upgrade when it’s cooked—and it takes on smokiness too when you grill it. The pros at Ferrandi Paris, the French School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality, have mastered the art of roasting pineapple, which caramelizes the sugars and makes each piece extra tender. The school’s top chef instructors share the steps below to achieve a perfectly roasted pineapple, and the process can easily be tweaked for a grill top.
Want more kitchen inspiration from Ferrandi chefs? You’ll find plenty (and some cooking pointers) in the book Fruits & Nuts: Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrand School of Culinary Arts (Flammarion, 2022).
Roasted Pineapple
Ingredients
1 vanilla bean
3 Tbs. butter, diced
2 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. rum
juice of 1 orange
1 pineapple, preferably Victoria
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (medium-high flame for grills). Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds using a paring knife.
- Place the vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan with the butter. Heat gently until the butter has melted.
- Warm the honey, rum and orange juice together in a separate saucepan over low heat.
- Peel the pineapple and wrap aluminum foil around the crown to protect it in the oven.
- Place the pineapple in a roasting pan and brush the flesh generously with the vanilla butter.
- Cut the vanilla bean into small pieces and push them into the pineapple. Pour over the warm honey and rum mixture.
- Roast the pineapple for 30 minutes, spooning the pan juices over it every five minutes.
Chef’s note: Be sure to baste the pineapple generously with the pan juices while it is roasting, as this will make it more tender and enhance its flavor.
All photos and recipe are reprinted with permission from Fruits & Nuts: Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts, Rizzoli New York, 2022. Photography © Rina Nurra.