Food Network Favorites: Rum Buttered-Glazed Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla-Scented Mascarpone
Bobby Flay's second dessert contribution to Food Network Favorites. This is a very simple way to serve pineapple. Grilling it helps to bring out the flavor, and the rum and vanilla notes in the accompaniments give a nice tropical flair to the dish.
Be sure to use a ripe pineapple; the fruit should be plump-looking and should yield slightly to pressure, without being mushy. The stem end should smell like pineapple. If the leaves are brown instead of dark green, pick a different one.
Since the pineapple is not cored before you grill it, you'll have to eat around the hard center of the slices. You need to eat this with a knife and fork anyway, since the pineapple slices are covered with sticky rum glaze and topped with rich mascarpone cheese.
Flay gives the yield for this dessert as 4 servings, but I think it could serve 6, especially if you've got a fairly large pineapple.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 6 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
6 oz. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup mascarpone
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (reserve pod for another use)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, for garnish
Preheat the grill to medium. Melt the butter, sugar, and rum in a small saucepan.
Grill the pineapple on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Spoon the rum glaze over the grilled pineapple.
Whisk together the mascarpone and vanilla seeds. Top each slice of pineapple with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries.