Adam Bullied

Recipe - Baked Pineapple

I’m proud to say this is a Gordon Ramsay recipe - not mine. But, of course - like most of his recipes that are billed “easy” and “quick” this is not really, due to the work involved in caking the pineapple in the salt mixture. Once you figure that one out, it’s easy peasy.

The Pineapple itself:

• 1 baby pineapple
• 10 ground cloves
• Chinese 5-spice powder
• 2-6 egg whites
• 2kg / 4 1/2lb coarse sea salt

Pour all that salt in to a pan where you have some room to move around - this is where you will be caking it on to the pineapple. Put in some of the chinese 5-spice to the salt - maybe 1-2 tablespoons; use your discretion.

Now, stud the eyes of the pineapple with the ground cloves - make sure to spread them evenly. Remember, the eyes of the pineapple are thorny studs with the puffy squares of skin.

Very lightly beat the egg-whites - you may find you need more than 2 and you’ll want to add them 2 at a time until you have the right consistency for the salt to stick on the pineapple.

Keep in mind, when pouring them in to the salt, those are what will force the salt to stick on to the pineapple so you don’t necessarily want to mix all the egg whites in really well to the salt. You’re looking for something with a similar consistency to a slushy from the mixture.

This is NOT easy to do and it takes some time. You want the entire pineapple caked in the salt mixture - no missing spots.

Get an oven-safe pan and put some of the salt mixture in the pan itself. This will be used to rest the bottom of the pineapple so it stays upright - almost like a little pineapple nest or bed.

Preheat the oven to 375F and ready the lowest rung of the oven itself. Place the pineapple in the oven for 30 minutes to bake.

The Mascarpone:

• 2-3 tablespoons of mascarpone
• Freshly chopped Basil

Mix these two things in a bowl while the pineapple is baking in the oven.

Once the pineapple is done, you will need to carve it. Of course, like anything, there are many different ways to do this - but the most important aspects are:

• Removing the baked salt - just crack it off in chunks (so much fun) with the back of your knife or something
• Skin the pineapple - they are soft anyway - and SUPER soft when warm. Due to the way it’s baked with the salt, the juice will be everywhere (that’s the point, tho)
• Core the pineapple - otherwise it will feel like eating tree bark.

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJJ-iQkbRNE for a video on cutting a pineapple.

Once you carve the pineapple, serve with scoops of the mascarpone and basil and enjoy!