Caramelized Pineapple Sundaes

Pineapple is a staple fruit in our kitchen throughout the year and we'll stock up when it's on sale. Sometimes, I get a little too excited about pineapple that I end up buying more than what we can eat! In those instances, I'll chop the pineapple up and freeze to use in smoothies or cocktails in place of ice cubes... or they're even great eaten frozen to curb cravings for ice cream. Since I had a bit too much pineapple on hand recently, I wanted to find a new way to use them up. That's when I stumbled upon a recipe which resulted in this glorious bowl of sweetness. Caramelized Pineapple Sundaes makes use of sweet chunks of fresh pineapple, coated in brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey and spices that's broiled for the perfect bit of caramelized goodness to make an ordinary ice cream into something extraordinary...

What I love about this preparation of pineapple is it really highlights the natural sweetness from the fruit itself. Although it gets some help from a sweet mixture of sugar, juice, honey and spices, broiling the pineapples really give it a depth of flavor. We didn't have any caramelized pineapple leftover - but next time, I plan to make extra just to have it on hand for a quick dessert! The topping would even be great to can and give as a gift in an ice cream basket. Oooh! I sense some holiday gifting ideas on the horizon...

Caramelized Pineapple Sundaes

recipe adapted from Cooking Light

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh pineapple 
• 2 cups vanilla fat-free frozen Greek yogurt or ice cream

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 
   
3. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, cinnamon and ginger, whisking to combine. Add the pineapple and toss to coat.
4. 
   
5. Spread pineapple mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan lined with foil. Broil 5 minutes or until bubbly.
6. 
   
7. Spoon 1/2 cup yogurt or ice cream into each of 4 dessert bowls. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup pineapple mixture and serve immediately.