CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE WITH TEQUILA AND SAFFRON

Serves: 12

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CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE WITH TEQUILA AND SAFFRON

Ready in: 50 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Christopher Columbus’s first voyage opened a transoceanic barter of species between the continents, and the cultural and ecological consequences of this so-called Columbian Exchange have been momentous, argues Charles C. Mann in 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. It’s why Italians have tomatoes and Asian cuisines have chilies. It’s why Florida has oranges—as well as malaria, mosquitoes, and rats.The pineapple was among the New World treasures that Columbus himself tasted, and later explorers took cuttings back to Europe. The speed with which this Brazilian native won over foreign nations is amazing. Pineapples were being grown in India by the middle of the sixteenth century, and soon after made it as far as China and Indonesia. The first pineapple grown on English soil—in a hothouse—was presented to King Charles II in 1661. He loved it. In America, the pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality, so this recipe is sized for canning two fruits—one to keep and one to give away. The flavor is concentrated by caramelizing the pineapple under a broiler before canning. It’s more manageable to work with one fruit at a time. My advice is to make the syrup first, then can each pineapple in turn. The roasted flavor and subtle spices go well with dark chocolate. Be forewarned that it will have a boozy flavor and kick. For a nonalcoholic syrup, replace the tequila with equal water, and process normally.

Ingredients

• 12 allspice berries
• 12 black peppercorns
• 6 cloves
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups reposado tequila
• ¼ cup honey
• 24 threads saffron
• 2 pineapples (about 5 pounds each)
• 1 cup organic sugar

Instructions

1. Crack the allspice, peppercorns, and cloves in a mortar. Combine them in a small saucepan with tequila, water, honey, and saffron. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and set aside.
2. Core and slice one of the pineapples: cut off the top and bottom. Stand it upright like a barrel, and slice off the skin with downward strokes of a sharp knife, going deep enough to remove the brown eyes. Cut the heart lengthwise into quarters, and slice out the fibrous core. Cut each quarter crosswise into ½-inch slices.
3. Put the sugar on a plate, and press each pineapple slice into it to coat one side. Lay the slices on a foil-lined baking sheet, sugar side up, in a single layer. One sheet will hold about half a pineapple. Place the pineapple slices in a 500-degree oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until they are partially caramelized. Use tongs to transfer the hot pineapple to a bowl. Repeat with the second half.
4. Pack the pineapple slices into a prepared wide-mouth quart jar. If there’s any liquid left in the bowl, add it to the saucepan with the canning syrup.
5. Bring the syrup to a boil and ladle it over the pineapple slices to cover, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Reserve the remaining syrup for the second pineapple. Seal and process in a boiling-water bath for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and wait 5 minutes before removing the jar from the canner.
6. Repeat with the second pineapple, using the reserved syrup. Allow the jars to cure for at least 1 week before opening.
7. [Note] If you use pint jars, the processing time is 15 minutes. Tequila could be replaced with brandy or rum, in which case you should omit the saffron and instead use a split vanilla bean, putting half in each jar. If you omit the water and instead use 2 cups of straight tequila, it isn’t necessary to water-bath the jars. The sealed jars can be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool cabinet. Allow curing for a month before opening.

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