Cinnamon Rum-Spiked Grilled Pineapple with Ice Cream

When I was creating my Labor Day Round Up post, I realized one of my favorite grilling recipes was conspicuously missing. My friends and I love to soak pineapple in a rum-sugar mixture, heat it on the grill until the sugars caramelize, and dig in. Although I have been butchering the recipe all summer, I used this Cooking Light recipe as inspiration for our favorite summer grilling treat. Now that I am making this in my kitchen on a grill pan, I’m actually able to pair it with the ice cream for the full effect.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark spiced rum (such as Captain Morgan’s)
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Cinnamon, to taste

You can usually find a peeled and cored pineapple in your supermarket. But just in case you don’t, I wanted to demystify cutting a pineapple.

Start by cutting off each end of the pineapple.

Next cut off the skin of the pineapple.

Slice the pineapple into one inch slices.

To core the slices, you can use a pairing knife to cut out the center. (I cheated and used a cupcake corer. shh)

OXO recently sent me the PERFECT tool for this recipe: a racheting pineapple slicer. I’m kind of obsessed with this tool. Not only does it core and slice the pineapple, but it also keeps the outside of the pineapple completely in tact! You could throw a fruit salad in there, or hey, make yourself a pina colada! How snazzy!

To use the pineapple slicer, cut off the top of the pineapple.

Twist the pineapple slicer into the top of the pineapple. (I found this easiest to do with the pineapple slightly lower than me so I could put some force on to the slicer). The racheting aspect of the tool allows you to twist the tool without readjusting your grip.

To remove the pineapple, press the buttons on either sides of the handle, turn the slicer upside down, and slide the slices off. Ta da!

Add the brown sugar to the spiced rum and heat in the microwave for one minute or until it dissolves.

Brush the sugar-rum mixture over the pineapple pieces.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan and add the pineapple slices. Grill for 1-2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.

Top with ice cream.

If desired, sprinkle with some cinnamon for an extra boost of flavor.

I love everything about this dessert. I even love that the heat from the pineapple kept melting my ice cream, which meant I had to work fast and furious to get photos. But the melted ice cream paired with the sweetness of the grilled pineapple was just perfect.

Ice cream doesn’t work too well during barbecues, but have no fear. The grilled pineapple can hold its own. (I have ended many a summer night snacking on this grilled pineapple. mmm)

This recipe still works on an indoor grill pan with pre-sliced pineapple if that is all you can find. If making on an outdoor grill, you’ll need to have either the rings or long slices of pineapple so that they don’t fall through.

Enjoy!