Grilled Pineapple

By Tamipri

Brushed with a Carribean-style marinade and placed over hot coals, pineapple develops a smoky sweetness. You can grill the fruit several hours ahead of time and wrap it in aluminum foil until ready to serve.

Ingredients

• FOR THE MARINADE
• 2 Tb. dark honey
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 firm yet ripe banana
• 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers
• 1 Tb. dark rum (opt.)
• 1 Tb. grated lime zest

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4-6 inches from the heat source.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, lime juice, cinnamon, and cloves and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Cut off the crown of leaves and the base of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, using a large, sharp knife, pare off the skin, cutting downward just below the surface in long, vertical strips and leaving the small brown "eyes" on the fruit. Lay the pineapple on its side. Aligning the knife blade with the diagonal rows of eyes, cut a shallow furrow, following a spiral pattern around the pineapple, to remove all the eyes. Stand the peeled pineapple upright and cut it in half lengthwise. Place each pineapple half cut side down and cut it lengthwise into 4 long wedges; slice away the core. Cut each wedge crosswise into 3 pieces. Thread the 3 pineapple pieces onto each skewer.

Lightly brush the pineapple with the marinade. Grill or broil, turning once and basting once or twice with the remaining marinade, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the pineapple from the skewers and place on a platter or individual serving plates. Brush with the rum,if using, and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve hot or warm.