Pineapple

My son and grandson are currently in Hawaii with some friends. They called shortly after they arrived to say they were eating fresh pineapple and had purchased a fruit they had never seen before called Dragon Fruit. I looked it up on the Internet and it is a strange looking thing - I’m anxious to see how they ate it and if they liked it.

We got to talking about how wonderful fresh pineapple tastes and recipes that it would be good in so I thought I would focus on pineapple for this week’s recipes. I thought it would be easier for people around here to find then Dragon Fruit!

Aloha Cheesecake

1 c Vanilla Wafer Crumbs
1/4 c Margarine - Melted
16 oz Cream Cheese - Softened
1/3 c Sugar
2 T Milk
2 Large Eggs
1/2 c Macadamia Nuts - Toasted
8 1/2 oz Crushed Pineapple - Drained
1 Med. Kiwi Peeled - Sliced
Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sugar and milk, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts; pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F., 45 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Before serving, top with fruit.

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 c corn oil
1 3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
2 c flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
2 c carrots - peeled & grated
1 c walnuts - chopped
8 oz pineapple - Crushed
Cream cheese frosting:
16 oz cream cheese
1 t vanilla
1 c powdered sugar
Beat together oil, sugar, and eggs until well combined. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Drain pineapple well. Add carrots, walnuts, and pineapple to mixture. Blend to mix well. Pour batter into two 9” round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or till toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream together cream cheese. Blend in powdered sugar & vanilla.

Grilled Pineapple

1 med pineapple
1 T butter - melted
1 T packed brown sugar
1/8 t curry powder
1/2 c nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 T toasted coconut
Cut pineapple crosswise into six 3/4-inch-thick slices. Stir together butter, brown sugar and curry powder. Grill pineapple slices on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 6 to 8 minutes or till heated through, turning once and brushing once or twice with butter mixture. Combine yogurt and coconut. To serve, cut pineapple slices in half. Serve warm with yogurt.

Banana Fruit Cake

3/4 c Butter
2 c Brown sugar
4 Eggs
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 c Walnuts - chopped
3 c Candied fruit
1 c Pineapple
2 c Dates - chopped
1 T Orange juice
1 t Orange rind - grated
1/2 t Orange extract
1 t Baking powder
1 t Baking soda
1 t Salt
1/4 t Ground nutmeg
1/4 t Ground cloves
1 t Ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c Mashed bananas
Prepare two 2 loaf pans (9” x 5”) and preheat the oven to 300 F.
In a large bowl combine the fruit, dates, pineapple and walnuts. Dredge them with 1/4 cup of the flour. Sift the remaining flour together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
Cream the butter, add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the orange rind, orange juice and orange extract. Mash the bananas with a fork. (A food processor will tend to liquefy the bananas and this will change the texture of the cake.) Alternately stir the bananas and the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the floured fruit and nuts.
Turn into the prepared pans and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto racks.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, minced
1 egg
2 T soya sauce
1 salt
1 pepper
2 T oil
3 T brown sugar
3 T cider vinegar
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 green pepper, sliced
1 tomato, cut into wedges
2 T corn starch, dissolved in
1/2 cup water
Mix ground beef, minced onion, egg, soya sauce, salt and pepper together. Form mixture into very small meatballs, no larger than 1” in diameter. Slice green pepper and tomato. Assemble other ingredients.
Heat oil in wok to smoking point. Carefully place meatballs into wok. Brown meatballs thoroughly on all sides (about 12 minutes cooking time). Remove them to a serving platter. Pour meat juices over meatballs.
Take a piece of paper toweling and wipe wok clean of any residue.
Place 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 3 tablespoons cider vinegar in wok. Cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add tomato, green pepper, and pineapple chunks to wok. Cook everything 3 minutes. Stir up corn starch solution thoroughly. Add to wok, stirring everything well.
Cook two or three minutes until corn starch solution is clear instead of cloudy. Pour over meatballs.
NOTE: Try to keep your meatballs as tiny as possible, as they will absorb the sweet and sour sauce better. The appearance of the dish will also be nicer.

Pina Colada Dipping Sauce

4 ounces pina colada mix
3 ounces sour cream
3 ounces drained, crushed pineapple
Mix all ingredients well. Print this post