March 13, 2015
by Jason Ford
Ford on Food
Pineapple is a cylindrical shaped tropical fruit with a thick, prickly, diamond-patterned skin crowned with green, spiky leaves and got its name from its resemblance to a pine cone.
The pineapple plant can bloom hundreds of spectacular, spiral shaped flowers which miraculously fuse together to form the fruit.
This means that a pineapple is actually made up of many individual fruits (called eyes) that join together to form the large pineapple we all recognise.
Pineapples are native to South America, but are now grown and cultivated in many tropical regions around the world.
Queensland is a prolific grower of pineapples and over the course of many decades has carefully cultivated a world-renowned species that is fluorescent gold and sweetly perfumed.
I once planted a pineapple head; it eventually grew into a plant which took almost two years to bear fruit.
Given such a long growing cycle, it’s probably easier and quicker to just go and buy one!
Pineapple generally has a juicy, sweet (yet tart) flesh made of tender fibres.
The fruit can be peeled and eaten raw, chopped and added to fruit salads or blended into smoothies, mocktails and cocktails.
It can also be cooked on the barbecue, crumbed and deep-fried as a fritter, or caramelised in a pan with butter, brown sugar and flambéed with rum.
Be aware that fresh pineapple contains an acid called Bromelain which breaks down proteins, such as gelatine.
Therefore, if you want to make sure your pineapple jelly or cheesecake will set, you’ll need to cook out the acid first.
However the acid can also help tenderize foods such as calamari when soaked in a pineapple puree.
Pineapple is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories, but high in fibre, antioxidants and vitamin C.
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Upside Down Pineapple Cake
Ingredients:
- 30g unsalted butter, melted
- 60g (1/3 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
- 300g fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into 5mm-thick slices
- 3 eggs, separated
- 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 150g (1 cup) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 80ml (1/3 cup) pineapple juice
- Whipped cream, to serve
- Fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, to serve
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Brush the base and side of a 23cm fluted ring pan with butter, then sprinkle brown sugar over base of pan
- Place pineapple – slightly overlapping – over the sugar
- Use an electric beater to beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat until just combined, then gradually beat in the pineapple juice
- Use a clean electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold one-quarter of the egg white into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in remaining egg white, in 3 more batches.
- Spoon the mixture over the pineapple and smooth the surface.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Run a flat-bladed knife around the inside edge of the pan, and turn the cake onto a serving plate.
- Serve with whipped cream and strawberries.
