This hot and fruity dinner party-pleaser from Delicious Magazine only takes 30 minutes to make. It’s sweet, citrusy and drowned in a boozy rum syrup – it’s sure to go down well!
Vegetable oil for frying
1 large pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 8 long wedges (see tip)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
For the rum syrup
7oz (200g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out and added
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
Finely grated zest ½ orange
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods, crushed
1 bird’s eye chili (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves
3.5 oz (100ml) dark rum
For the lime crème fraÎche
7oz (200g) full-fat crème fraîche
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
1 tbsp icing (confectioners) sugar
First make the rum syrup: put 7 fl oz (200ml) water and the sugar in a pan, then bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Add the rest of the syrup ingredients except the rum. Bubble for 1 minute, then cool for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil, then add the pineapple wedges and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Turn the wedges over and add the butter, reducing the heat to medium. Fry the pineapple until golden all over and cooked all the way through. Transfer to a bowl or plate, then pour over the pan juices.
Put the frying pan back over the heat and add the rum (be very careful as it may flame). Use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the base of the pan. Bubble until reduced by half.
Add the cooled syrup to the rum in the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a coating consistency. Strain the liquid, remove the spices (discard), then pour 3/4″( 2cm) of the syrup back into the pan with the pineapple and juices to warm through.
Mix the crème fraîche with the lime juice and icing sugar.
Serve the pineapple with a dollop of lime crème fraîche, a sprinkling of lime zest and the remaining syrup and lime crème fraîche on the side.