A bite of fresh juicy pineapple can whoosh anyone straight to Jamaica with its vibrant sweet meets tart cocktail, no wonder it is the USA’s second favourite fruit after bananas!
Pineapples were first bought to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean’s islands by the Tainos Indians from South America and then taken away by Columbus to Europe where it then made its famous journey back to Hawaii. Many small farmers in Jamaica now grow them as living fences. They are a sustainable crop which doesn’t require pesticides, just some gentle weeding.
It takes 2 years for the tree to mature and begin producing fruit which occur 6-8 months after the blossom and some 20 days before they’re ready to eat. If you want to know if the pineapple is ripe give it a gentle tap, if you get a dull, solid sound it’s ready to eat, if it sounds hollow give it a few more days. Do buy a Sugar Loaf pineapple when you’re in Jamaica if you see them at market or from one of the street fruit vendors, their shape doesn’t make them practical to use for the canners but they are delicious!
Pineapple’s bromelain enzyme makes a fantastic meat tenderiser which is why it is so often paired with pork and why it’s great with fish as a remedy for those who are prone to over-cooking it, let the pineapple juice do the work for you. That same enzyme acts as a natural detox, cleansing and promoting a healthy digestive system.
Here’s our guest’s 3 favourite pineapple dishes from the Mille Fleurs kitchen, Spiced Pork with Pineapple, Honey-Peanut Fish with Pineapple Salsa and Nutty Pineapple Upside Down Cake from the Mille Fleurs kitchen, enjoy!
- 4 Eggs separated ( warmed to room temperature)
- ¼ cup softened Butter
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 20 oz. Pineapple Slices
- ¼ cup Chopped Nuts ( pecans, walnuts )
- 1 cup 00 or Cake Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. melted Butter
- 1 tsp. Almond Extract
- ¾ cup whipped Double Cream
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Melt butter and pour into baking tin . Sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts. Arrange pineapple slices to cover bottom of the pan.
- Add baking powder and salt to flour.
- Beat egg whites till they form peaks when beater is slowly raised. Add granulated sugar. Beat well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Beat egg yolks until creamy. With a wire whisk or rubber scraper fold egg yolks and flour mixture into egg whites. Add 1 tbsp. melted butter and almond extract.
- Pour batter evenly over pineapple. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Serve with whipped double cream.
- 2 tsp. Vegetable Oil
- 4 Pork Steaks, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Tomato Purée
- 430 g Pineapple slices and some pineapple juice.
- ½ tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp. 5 Spice Powder ( we make our own with a mixture of Pimento, ginger, cinnamon, scotch bonnet, nutmeg by simply chopping and drying the individual ingredients such as the ginger and scotch bonnet then grinding them together – and tasting to ensure we have the right combination) but you can use a Chinese 5-spice powder.
- Coriander leaves to serve
- Add oil to a large non-stick pan, season the steaks well and fry them for 5 minutes on each side until golden and almost cooked through.
- Mix the sugar, soy, tomato purée and some pineapple juice in a bowl.
- Add the pineapple rings to the pan and let them caramalise a little alongside the pork. Add the chili and 5-spice to the pan, then fry for 1 minute until aromatic. Tip in the soy mix and let it bubble around the pork and pineapple for a few minutes until reduced and sticky.
- Sprinkle with coriander and serve.
- 1 cup Fresh Pineapple, diced
- ½ cup Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
- ¼ cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 tbsp. Scallion Greens, finely chopped
- ½ tsp. finely chopped Scotch Bonnet ( de-seeded)
- In a small bowl combine all the relish ingredients. Mix well ( The relish will keep covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours)
- 4-8 oz. Fish Fillets
- 1 tsp. Oil
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp. Honey
- ½ cup peanuts ( or macadamia. The original recipe used Macadamia nuts but we substituted peanuts as Macadamia nuts are hard to get here)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toast the peanuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Let cool. Finely chop and set aside.
- Heat the grill.
- Rub the fillets with oil then season with salt and pepper. When the fire is medium hot, put the fish fillets on the grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Turn the fish over and cook for 3-4 minutes longer. As the 2nd side is cooking, brush the exposed side lightly with honey and sprinkle with half of the nuts. Turn the fillet over again and cook for 1 minute, meanwhile coating the 2nd side with the remaining honey and nuts. Turn again and cook a minute longer or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the fish fillets from the grill and cut into 2.
- Serve accompanied with the Pineapple Relish. Coconut Rice and Sautéed Greens.
