Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream and Rum Sauce [Intro to Cooking]

By Sam

Summer has finally arrived, and we all know what that means: lounging around the pool, strutting our stuff in bikinis, partying all night and of course the never-ending stream of barbecues…with all that delicious food placed right under our noses. We want to be ready for the beach, but we don’t want to be left out of the festivities! So what’s a girl to do?

Well I’ve discovered a way we can make use of the grill and keep our figures (or try to, at least).

How is that possible you might ask? Well, the first step is fruit.  I know what you’re thinking: who wants plain, boring fruit while everyone else is devouring pie and ice cream? But this is different. Think Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream and Rum Sauce. It’s fresh, light and healthy! Yes, it sounds risky, but this way, you can enjoy the sweet, delicious mix of hot with cold at your barbecue. You get a little taste of ice cream (light, of course) without the guilt because, hello, everyone knows fruit is healthy!

This recipe is easy and quick to make. Plus, it ensures you’ll get a little grill time to yourself!

You’ll need…

• 1 (3 to 4 pound) pineapple
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1 pint light vanilla ice cream

How to make it:

First, cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, peel and slice it crosswise into 8 rings, about 1/2-inch each. Use a spoon or apple corer to carve out the center core of each ring.

Then, spray a large grill pan with cooking spray and heat it over a medium flame. Grill the pineapple, in 2 or 3 batches, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it is nicely brown and grill marks have appeared. (You can also grill this on an outdoor grill sprayed with cooking spray before being heated, which is of course, much more fun.)

While the last batch of pineapple cooks, heat the butter, sugar and rum in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly.  This should take about 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat.

Place a pineapple ring on each plate, scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream into the center of the ring, drizzle about 2 teaspoons of sauce on top, and enjoy!