Grilled Pineapple
For Lag Ba'Omer.
The holiday of Lag Ba’Omer celebrates the 33rd day of the counting of the omer between Pesah and Shavuot. A minor holiday, it commemorates a series of overlapping events, including the supposed day that manna first fell in the wilderness, the cessation of a divinely-sent plague on Rabbi Akiva’s students, and the death of the great sage, Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai.Lag Ba’Omer has become a brief moment of celebration amidst the longer period of mourning surrounding it. Some people commemorate the day by lighting bonfires (to honor the light that Rabbi ben Yohai brought into the world) and grilling food with friends and family.
Since the internet is already full of innovative ideas for grilling burgers, fish, vegetables, tofu, and even pizza, here is a simple, delicious recipe that uses up the last of the coals to make a festive dessert.
Ingredients
1/4 cup raspberries
2 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar dissolved in a little water
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup fresh whipping cream
1 whole pineapple
Directions
Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut the bottom off of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple up on the flat surface and, slicing down along the fruit, remove the outer peel, rotating as you go until the peel is gone. Lay the pineapple down horizontally and slice into 1/2 inch rounds OR cut into 1/2 inch long wedges.
Mix together the dissolved brown sugar and lime juice in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each pineapple round or wedge with the mixture. Spray your grill with a little vegetable oil and grill pineapple on each side for a couple of minutes until it gets nicely caramelized and browned. Serve topped with raspberry cream.
For Cream
Combine cream and sugar in a bowl. Using an immersion blender or whisk (beating rapidly), whip air into cream until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, mash the raspberries well with a fork. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the smashed raspberries into the whipped cream. Serve over grilled pineapple.
