Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jvette]

So glad good fresh pineapple will be coming available. I do love it!

When I was a kid, we only ever had canned and I hated pineapple. My husband and I visited Hawaii in 1983 and there was a beautifully cut fresh one in the room as a welcome.

I’ve loved it ever since.

[Jamestown1630]

Sometimes it has stung my mouth, too; but that’s usually when I haven’t eaten it in a very long while. I eat it about once a month, so I guess I have ‘immunity’ :-)

[kalee]

That looks delicious!

[kalee]

:)

[Liz]

Mmmmmm...........sounds good.

[Aliska]

Maybe because I've only rarely eaten raw pineapple that is the reason. If I see a fruit platter, I'll test things out. A little bit can't hurt. I really did love the fresh (it's different from canned) when I could tolerate it.

Interesting following your chat about the corer, glad you got one for yourself. I'm kind of a gadget goofus in my old age.

kalee, it looks better than I thought so I will get the stuff to have on hand. And I have a nice tube pan so I like the looks of that. I'm not big on cool whip any more, but it really doesn't need a topping. If I do, I love real whipped cream.

[CottonBall]

Sounds great! Quick and easy and I can tell myself it’s healthy because it’s on celery!

[CottonBall]

Just what I was looking for thanks JT.

[Aliska]

BTW my daughter just asking about upsidedown cake. I like the rings and maraschino cherries only I halve them, cut side down. Now I don't follow a recipe, like plenty of real butter and brown sugar. That pic you posted looks like they got enough on there.

Usually I use a yellow cake mix but I've been toying with the idea of some kind of sponge cake which I love. Only it has to be dense enough to support the fruit.

[CottonBall]

Oh boy, not only a pound cake but a pound cake with pineapple! I love pound cakes, they are so rich and dense. And although I have many recipes for them, I have never made one. So you’re not the only one that collects recipes but doesn’t get around to doing all of them.

But hopefully I will try this one soon, I plan to. Thank you very much.

[Jamestown1630]

Yes, the cake has to be dense for this. I once made a recipe that was so light it just didn’t work.

There are lots of easy ‘cake-mix’ recipes out there for Pineapple Upside Down Cake; but I’ve found that it’s best from scratch - and the best are the ones done in the cast-iron pan, for the caramelization.

[Aliska]

Oh, yes the caramelization would be better in cast iron, maybe shouldn't use dark brown sugar though. Which you wouldn't, of course. But it might be all I've got. Only problem is my wrists are very tiny and it's hard for me to hold my cast iron skillit, need both hands. Wish mine had that extra handle.

Speaking of brown sugar, I've got 3 or so bags, sealed up tight, haven't used any for quite awhile, or very much. I have to measure it out, pack it in, then go through it with my fingers looking for hard little lumps that won't break down when you pinch them hard, throw them in the sink. They might be ok to go ahead and use but might not in some things. Anybody else have this problem?

I was thinking sometime we need to have a problem thread, things we have trouble with. Not this week though.

Yes, I could flip it with a good grip and non skid pot holders. Away from my body in case I slip, the syrup is HOT. I'm just as happy with a glass pan. It caramelizes a little, not like an iron pan.

The idea for this cake I got from two or three different recipes and added my own twist. It's a rhubarb custard cake with a mix and added custard powder, beat the thing for 10 minutes in my stand mixer. It was gorgeous though, don't know if it would hold upsidedown.

But how about pineapple instead of rhubarb? Or peaches? Might be interesting. Top is pretty but not very special occasionish though.

Now on the newer cake mixes which went down to 16.5 oz I think, from 18.5? I figure I need to add 2 tbsp flour to make all the recipes I developed work right or older recipes. Some wouldn't matter, but some would.

[Ellendra]

I like pineapple, but I’ve learned to avoid it when it’s raw. No matter how careful I try to be, it inevitably slices up the inside of my mouth, making it painful to eat for the next 2 days.

Canned pineapple I’m ok with. I sometimes make candied pineapple starting with canned. Make a thick syrup using one part the juice it was canned in to 3 parts brown sugar. Soak the pineapple pieces in that for 3 days, stirring once or twice a day. Then strain and dry the pieces in your dehydrator. the soaking in syrup changes the texture of the dried fruit.

As for pineapple upside-down cake, after it cools my mom goes a step further and decorates it with berries, sliced kiwi, and starfruit. It started when my nephew was about 3, and he asked for a birthday cake with “lots of fruit”.

[Carthego delenda est]

Regarding brown sugar that’s gone hard and clumpy, I just put a slice of bread into the bag of sugar, and in about a day the brown sugar is as soft and moist as when it was purchased. I’ve read that if you need to use hardened brown sugar right away, place a moist paper towel into the bag and then microwave it for 20 seconds or so until it softens up. I haven’t tried the microwave method since I just keep a slice of bread in the bag. If it sits for a while, and both the bread and sugar harden again, just use a new slice of bread.

[Ellendra]

Ooh, I almost forgot my favorite pineapple recipe: Pina-Colada Cheesecake!

For the “Pina”:

1 large can crushed pineapple
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp Flour
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp butter
(sugars can be adjusted to taste)

In a medium saucepan, combine flour, sugars, salt, and eggs. Make sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Add the pineapple. Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and looses some of its translucence. Remove from heat. Add butter and set aside.

For the “Colada”:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp Coconut extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 8oz container of Cool Whip

Blend cream cheese, sugar, and extracts. Fold in Cool Whip.

For the cheesecake:

1 9-inch pie crust
Shredded coconut (optional)

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over pie crust. Create a shallow well in the center, leaving at least one inch around the edges. Use the pineapple mixture to fill this well. Decorate the edges with shredded coconut (if desired). Chill 1 hour.

This usually leaves some of both fillings left over. They are great by themselves, mixed into things like yogurt, or used as toppings.

[leaning conservative]

Cool, its always good to have a quickie frosting recipe on.hand. Thanks!

[leaning conservative]

Great story & what a wonderful thing to be remembered for.

[Aliska]

My sugar is still as soft and moist as when first opened but it gets, yes, little clumps that break apart with no trouble at all. It's the hard little balls about the size of 1/2 of a pea and a little darker brown. And it's C&H sugar, too, not an off or store brand.

I guess bread might work though.

I reseal the ziplock bags the sugar comes in and squeeze as much air out as I can. Then I have them packed into a gallon ice cream container. It's not dark like the cupboard but the bottom container (have stacks of flours and stuff in ice cream containers).

[moehoward]

“That ham and bean soup I mentioned”

Link please!

[Yaelle]

Pineapple cake! I can’t use cake mixes but I bet one could make it from scratch too, easy. Yum.

Your corer sounds pretty cool. I have to cut pineapple the Hawaiian way because of Dad. He was so proud to be a Hawaii resident when he bought a condo there and so proud of cutting the pineapple their way, slicing it and serving it on its own trays of pineapple bark. He’s been gone a year now and I just have to still cut it that way for him.

Also, as I was going through my adopted embryo transfer, I learned that the enzyme in pineapple core is supposed to be very good to help embryos implant. So there I was, after my daughter-as-embryo was placed in my uterus by a cannula, in my hotel room watching the Bellagio fountains spray along to beautiful Christmas carols out my window, chewing pineapple core. And dang if it didn’t work.;)

I still love chewing on the core.