Roast Whole Pineapple With Black Pepper Rum Food

ROASTED PINEAPPLE WITH RUM-VANILLA GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Place pineapple wedges on a rimmed baking sheet. Stir together rum, brown sugar, and vanilla bean and seeds in a small bowl. Brush rum mixture onto pineapple. Dot pineapple tops with butter.
• Roast until liquid has evaporated and pineapple has caramelized, about 30 minutes. Let pineapple cool slightly in dish on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with ice cream.

ROASTED PINEAPPLE WITH RUM SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in upper third. Using a chef's knife, slice off top and bottom ends of pineapple. Following the fruit's natural shape and working from top to bottom, slice off skin in strips; cut away any "eyes." Quarter lengthwise; remove tough core. Cut each quarter into 4 pieces lengthwise.
• Place butter in an 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish, and melt in oven, 6 minutes.
• Arrange pineapple in the dish. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, honey, pie spice, and rum.
• Spoon sugar mixture over pineapple. Bake until tender and bubbly, about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature with sorbet, if desired.

WHOLE VANILLA ROASTED PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F
• Using a small knife, remove the eyes from the pineapple. You will see that these eyes form spiral patterns running lengthwise down the pineapple. The most attractive way to remove them it to cut shallow channels that twist down from the top of the pineapple to the bottom. Reserve any pineapple juices.
• Cut the vanilla bean in four lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Reserve any vanilla seeds that escape from the vanilla pod. With the help of a wooden skewer, spear the pineapple with the pieces of vanilla bean, just like a roast with garlic.
• In a roasting pan, heat the water, sugar and butter, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and add any accumulated pineapple juice or any vanilla bean seeds that escaped from the vanilla bean.
• Remove from the heat, add the pineapple, turn and baste with the liquid.
• Place in the oven and roast 35 to 40 minutes, basting from time to time. If the sauce has become too thick during the cooking just add a little water and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
• To serve, cut the pineapple into wedges, cut out the core and serve with sauce from the pan and a good quality vanilla ice cream.