Pineapple Crush

“Desserts are like mistresses. They are bad for you. So if you are having one, you might as well have two.”
- Chef Alain Ducasse

So a few days ago I was wearing a shirt with a pineapple on it (it was a tube top, also, which makes it even more ridiculous) and a fellow cast member mentioned that pineapples were, in fact, their favorite fruit. That reminded me that Alton Brown, an awesomely cool chef, has a recipe for pineapple upside down cornmeal cake and I now have a reason to try it.

Now, I’m sure some of you missed most of that last paragraph and are still wondering: “Why was she wearing a tube top? Those things are just awful.” And, yes, tube tops are kind of “out,” and no one really wears them unless they’re dancing on top of a bar, but I like the way tube tops make my clavicle look, and right now, when we’re in a world where it’s really hard to look at yourself and see something you like, if I find something on myself that makes me feel beautiful I am going to run with it.

So, for this week, I want you to celebrate the parts of your body that you really love. Even if it’s just your baby toe or the curve of your neck, we all need to remember that even though we may not be totally enamored with our whole appearance, yet (and I say “yet,” because I know one day all of us will) we should at least take the time to focus on the things about ourselves that we would absolutely not change. I also happen to love my hands at the moment because they are not only making this cake, but they will be helping to serve it to some wonderful, beautiful people, and they will also help me lift the fork to serve it to myself!

So, now that we’re totally loving on ourselves, back to Alton! Alton, yes, we’re on a first name basis, says in the book Food Network Favorites that, “by melding pineapple upside-down cake (which I’ve always loved) with a pan-baked cornbread, we get something new, I think, yet something utterly nostalgic at the same time…which makes no sense at all.” I’m excited to try this nonsensical dish because 1) I love cornbread and I love pineapple anything, so together I can only imagine it’s going to be awesome (unless one is, like, a cornbread or pineapple upside-down cake purist, or something…) and 2) because this recipe does not require a hand mixer, which I actually do not like using because I always end up getting batter everywhere. Try as I might, I have not mastered hand-mixer grace quite yet.

So, with whisk happily in hand, I begin this week’s dessert journey and give you:  

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CORNMEAL CAKE

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole milk

1 cup coarse-ground cornmeal

4 ounces unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

6 slices canned pineapple in heavy syrup

6 maraschino cherries

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted*

3 tablespoons syrup from canned pineapple

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 whole eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup canola oil

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a microwave-safe dish, bring the milk to a boil. Remove the milk from the microwave and add the cornmeal. Stir and let soak at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set aside.

2.     Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. 

  .    Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully place 1 slice of pineapple in the center of the pan. Place the other 5 slices around the center slice in a circle. Place the cherries in the centers of the pineapple slices and sprinkle the nuts evenly over the fruit. Drizzle the reserved 3 tablespoons of pineapple syrup over top.

3.     Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the canola oil and whisk. Add the cornmeal and milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Add this to the flour and stir just until combined. Pour the batter over the fruit in the skillet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester (or fork, or toothpick) comes out clean.

4.     Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes in the skillet. 

  .   Set a platter on top of the skillet and carefully invert the cake.

Recipe yields one 10-inch cake.

Okay, so the cake is in the oven, and if I have only one complaint about the process thus far, it’s that this recipe uses a ton of dishes. You need several mixing bowls, cookie sheets (for toasting the pecans), the 10-inch skillet, etc, and it definitely calls for a lengthy cleanup. However, once I taste this baby, I’m sure any cleaning I have to do will seem totally worth it, because I tried a spoonful of leftover batter and it tasted so awesome! The cornbread mixture had this really nice sweetness to it, and I can’t wait to try it when it’s mixed with the fruit, brown sugar and pecans!

literally...ALL my dishes...

Well, the cake is out of the oven and it looks pretty incredible. It doesn’t give off that pungent of a scent, it’s just a light aroma of sugar and cornbread, which is actually very nice. But it looks so tasty with the brown sugar still bubbling a tiny bit near the edge of the cornmeal base. Now it’s cooling in the skillet inside of my cupboard for 30-minutes and then it’s time to see what it looks like once turned upside-down…or perhaps right-side up?

CUT TO AFTER REHEARSAL:

So I have never seen cake go this fast! People actually stopped cutting slices and just started eating straight off the pan with their forks! It was awesome! They kept talking about the melding of flavor “styles,” meaning, how it had a very Southern taste, but the cherries and pineapple gave it a tropical feeling at the same time. Either way, when there was a sliver left at the end of the night, three cast members rushed over to finish it off before I went home. I may have to do quite a few dishes, but watching the race to the remaining crumbs made it all worth it!

Til next time,

D

*A note on toasting: for those of you who are like, “What does she mean by toasted? Is that the same as roasted?” Lemme quickly explain how quick and easy it is to toast nuts in the oven. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Evenly distribute the nuts along the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into the oven for approximately 5 minutes, but make sure to check in around halfway through the time, because the pecans can scald easily.