Bobby Flay's Grill It! - Bobby Flay [36]
While I was growing up, my mother would make pineapple upside-down cake, normally using a boxed yellow cake mix and canned pineapple. While I have fond memories of that dessert with the maraschino cherries on top, I have no desire to whip up a cake batter, bake it in an oven, and then risk third-degree burns trying to invert it onto a platter. You don’t have to, either. For this recipe all you have to do is pick up a store-bought pound cake, slice up a fresh pineapple, whisk together a quick caramel sauce (heck, you could even heat up a store-bought variety and just add a little rum), and fire up the grill.
Serves 4 to 8
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
½ cup heavy cream
1 small pineapple, peeled, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices, and cored
¼ cup canola oil
1 (9-inch) loaf store-bought pound cake, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
Freshly whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Maraschino cherries, for garnish (optional)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over high heat, add the brown sugar and rum, and cook, whisking, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook until heated through and slightly thickened; about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and keep warm.
Heat your grill to high.
Brush the pineapple on both sides with the oil and place on the grill. Grill until golden brown and caramelized on both sides, about 6 minutes.
While the pineapple is grilling, place the pound cake on the grill and grill until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute. Set each slice of pound cake on a serving plate.
Transfer the pineapple to a cutting board and cut into chunks.
Top each piece of pound cake with some of the pineapple and drizzle with the rum-caramel sauce. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, if desired.
lamb
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Americans don’t eat as much lamb as they do other meats, but it is incredibly popular in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines. Lamb, while far from gamey, does have a distinctive and pronounced flavor and is particularly suited to the bold seasonings favored by those cultures. I like to prepare it Greek style, with tons of garlic and pungent herbs, or play up its natural sweetness in a Moroccan-inspired dish laced with pomegranate. On the flip side, the cuts of lamb that I like to use on the grill, such as tenderloin and rib chops, are also quite delicate and pair beautifully with tender spring vegetables. Refined rib chops and tenderloin are natural choices for an elegant, romantic meal for their impressive presentation factor and delicious taste. Although the cost of such cuts may be somewhat high, it’s definitely worthwhile for a special meal.
Traditionally, lamb ushered in the spring, gracing most Easter and Passover dinner tables. You might still see “spring lamb” advertised around those holidays, but you can find lamb—fresh and frozen, domestically raised and from Australia and New Zealand—available year-round. American lamb is grain-fed and is more tender and milder in flavor than the grass-fed Australian and New Zealand lamb. Cut for cut, American lamb is also much larger. I prefer domestic lamb, but if faced with a choice, I’d always select fresh over frozen, regardless of its origin.
Lamb is graded on its degree of marbling, just like beef. Very little prime lamb is available, but the choice lamb on the market can be very good, especially because lamb needs significantly less marbling than beef to be tender and juicy. To ensure the best possible