Pineapple-Brown Sugar Crisp
Chef Lisa Anderson’s variation on the familiar apple crisp, made with pineapple, has a bit of a bite. She scents it with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, then serves it with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a rum sauce. Instead of baking the crisp in a single baking dish, you could put four to six steel rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and make individual tarts.
Ingredients
- Cobbler Crust
- All-Purpose Flour - 1-3/4 cups
- Cornmeal - 1/4 cup
- Sugar - 9 tablespoons
- Pinch of salt
- Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons
- Cold Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup (6 ounces), cut into pieces
- Egg - 1
- Vanilla Extract - 1-1/2 teaspoon
- Ice Water - 2 tablespoons
- Crumble
- Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Sugar - 3/4 cup
- All-Purpose Flour - 1-1/4 cups
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
- Cold Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup (6 ounces), cut into pieces
- Filling
- Fresh Pineapple - 4 cups, cut into small chunks
- Sugar - 4 tablespoons
- Pinch of salt
- Nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
- Pinch of allspice
- Rum Sauce
- Dark Rum - 1/2 cup
- Simple Syrup - 1/4 cup (see basics)
- Vanilla ice cream
- Dried Pineapple Slices - 4, cut into large pieces
- Mint sprigs - 4 - 6
Instructions
To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients in a deep bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is mealy. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly and beat in the vanilla and ice water. Add the liquid to the butter-flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3-inch thick. Line the baking dish with the dough, pressing gently into the corners.
To make the crumble: In the bowl of a mixer, combine the dry ingredients. Add the chilled butter, a little at a time, until the mixture starts to clump together.
To prepare the filling: Stir the ingredients together in a large bowl.
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the filling into the pastry-lined baking dish. With your fingers, distribute the crumble over the top. Bake 20 - 30 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown and the pineapple juice bubbles through it.
To make the sauce: Put the rum and syrup in a small pan and warm over medium-low heat. Place the warmed sauce in a squeeze bottle.
To serve: Place a scoop of crisp on each dessert plate. Garnish with dried pineapple slices and a mint sprig. Drizzle rum sauce over the ice cream and plate.
