There is nothing more fragrant and sensuous than roasted pineapple. I am sort of iffy about pineapple when sliced in a fruit salad, but when pineapple is bathed and basted in dark rum and vanilla, it becomes a sweet and exotic treat. Roasted pineapple gives off its juices which are thick and perfumed with pineapple essence and a pureed banana. For all the non-bakers out there, this dessert is for you. Simple and requiring minimal kitchen skills, roasted pineapple will make you look like a dessert genius. Save the juices and drizzle on ice cream or pound cake.

Serves 6

1 ripe* pineapple

1 vanilla bean, scraped, reserve seeds and bean

6 ¼-inch thick slices of peeled ginger

1 ripe banana, peeled and pureed

¼ cup dark rum

1 ½ cups pineapple juice

¼ cup water

Pinch of chili flakes (optional)

1. Cut off the ends of the pineapple and peel down the skin with a sharp knife. Cut out as many “eyes” (indentations) as necessary.
2. Core the pineapple with a sharp knife or apple corer. Poke several holes in the pineapple and push cut segments of the vanilla bean into the holes.
3. Place the pineapple in a shallow casserole pan. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and baste the pineapple. Bake the pineapple, covered with foil, and baste every 15 minutes for 1 hour.
4. Slice and serve with pan juices and vanilla ice cream or sorbet.

*A ripe pineapple will smell sweet and perfumed. A pineapple that is under ripe will have no fragrance at all. A ripe pineapple will be slightly yielding when gently pressed. To ripen a pineapple, leave at room temperature for a few days. Pulling a leaf out of a pineapple and testing the ease at which the leaf comes out as a sign of ripeness is a myth.

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