Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios

Simple roasted pineapple, marinated in honey and orange juice, and topped with crushed pistachios and fresh mint. Serve with yogurt for a healthy snack, breakfast, or dessert! 

Dessert, breakfast, or snack?  I honestly don’t know how to classify this roasted pineapple with honey & pistachios–but I’m not sure I mind either way.  And I promise that once you taste it, you won’t either.

There are some fruits that just blossom with a little bit of caramelization in the oven.  It’s where the magic happens.  Last year, I roasted apricots like it was my job.  I ate them for breakfast with greek yogurt almost every day for weeks on end.

Well, I’ve decided that 2014 is the year of the pineapple.

I have to admit, pineapple hasn’t gotten a lot of action in my kitchen.  Ever, really.  It just is one of those fruits that I sort of forget about.

I stare at it longingly in the grocery store, enticed by its tropical aroma, but end up steering myself back to my normal fruit routine at this time of the year, which includes the typical oranges, grapefruits, kiwis, pears, and an occasional pomegranate here and there.  But pineapple?  Not so much.  I think I’ve been scarred by too many awful pineapple experiences from sad fruit bowls or hotel buffets.

You know the ones I’m talking about, right?  Not so great.

Well, ever since my mom gifted me a random pineapple a few weeks ago (she also sends me the occasional food-related package via snail mail, despite living only 30 minutes away)–I’ve been thinking about pineapple ever since.

I’ve been meaning to make some sort of crazy dessert with it.  I’m sort of envisioning something with crispy puff pastry and some sort of coconut pastry cream–someone please convince me that needs to happen.

But when I stumbled upon this recipe the other day, I got sidetracked.  In the best way possible.

I should also mention that this recipe is really easy and simple.  It does take about 30 minutes to roast–but if you prepared this on a weeknight or weekend, you could easily store the roasted fruit in the fridge and have snacks for days.

To help the caramelization process, and add even more flavor, the pineapple wedges are marinated briefly in a mixture of freshly squeezed orange juice (I used Cara Caras, hence the bright pink color above), brown sugar, and honey.

It seems like a lot of sugar, but most of it is discard, so this dish is fairly healthy. The marinade also serves as delicious basting liquid throughout the roasting process too.

The final addition of chopped pistachios and fresh mint adds such an interesting dimension to the dish.  The three ingredients work in perfect harmony with one another.

The mint brightens up the entire plate–and complements the tart sweetness of the pineapple so well–and the pistachios add the perfect crunch and texture.  

Although the original recipe suggested serving the pineapple with creme fraiche, I preferred a large dollop of Greek yogurt. I’m also 100% positive this would be amazing with coconut whipped cream or even coconut yogurt.  

Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios

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Yield: 3 - 4 Servings

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Simple roasted pineapple, marinated in honey and orange juice, and topped with crushed pistachios and fresh mint. Serve with yogurt or whipped coconut cream for a healthy dessert!

Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients

• 1 large pineapple
• ½ cup (120 mL) fresh Cara Cara or regular orange
• ⅓ cup (70 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure honey
• whole fat Greek yogurt or vanilla yogurt for serving
• pistachios roughly chopped
• fresh mint leaves finely chopped

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Peel and core the pineapple.  Slice into 2 to 3-inch long wedges, roughly ¾-inch thick. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange juice, brown sugar, and honey. Add the pineapple slices to the bowl, toss, and allow them to macerate for 10 minutes.
• Remove the pineapple from the marinade (reserve the liquid for later) and place the pieces onto the baking sheet, spacing them apart evenly, so the do not touch each other  Roast for 15 minutes. Using tongs, turn the pineapple and brush each slice with the marinade. Continue to roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the pineapple is caramelized. Set on a rack to cool. Remove the pineapple from the pan and toss with 2 tablespoons of the reserved macerating liquid.
• Serve pineapple and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, chopped pistachios, and fresh mint.

Recipe adapted slightly from Bon Appetit.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 5g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 58mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 40g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Fruit Desserts

Cuisine: American