Nourish: The secret's in the spice for pineapple on the grill
By mid-April, when I have grown weary of winter citrus but the bounty of local berries hasn't hit the market yet, I like to turn to the tropics for some sweet, juicy variety. My luscious pineapple dessert not only is packed with island flavor, it satisfies a sweet tooth healthfully as well.
Grilling the fruit caramelizes its natural sugars, brings forth its juices and gives it attractive grill marks. A sprinkling of ground allspice adds another dimension with its warm, aromatic Caribbean flair.
Once the pineapple comes off the grill, it's topped off with another layer of tropical flavor in the form of coconut whipped cream. I don't use coconut milk because it is more healthful; it isn't necessarily better for you than regular whipped cream. I use it because it has such an intense, craveable coconut flavor that it makes you see palm trees. Besides, it keeps the dish vegan-friendly.
To make it, you refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk for several hours — long enough for the fat to separate and rise to the top of the liquid. Then you scrape off the solid fat and whip it as you would cream, with a touch of sugar. It is so rich and decadent that you need just a little for this recipe. But the rest keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can have it on hand to dollop on those berries, too, when they arrive at last.
• Ellie Krieger's newest cookbook is “You Have It Made: Delicious, Healthy, Do-Ahead Meals” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.