While in Portland, I got the chance to experiment with my friends’ outdoor pizza oven. We took advantage of the season and played with flambéing different fresh fruits. For the Pineapple Flambé I added star anise and vanilla to help develop a more complex flavor. With flambéing fruit, you light alcohol on fire to add to the cooking process and reduce the liquid into a rich sauce. The rum adds a tropical flavor to the dish.

Pineapple Flambé with Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pineapple, washed, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rum
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 pieces star anise
• Greek yogurt, 2% fat content
• Pecans or almonds, optional

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel and chop pineapple.
2. Put pineapple into a cast iron skillet.
3. Mix in brown sugar, rum, butter, vanilla and star anise.
4. Put cast iron skillet close to very hot coals (in an outdoor oven or fire pit). Tip the pan toward the flame so that the rum ignites and sauce should boil and reduce to half. The pineapple should get carmelized.
5. If you don’t have an outdoor fire source, you can heat the pan on the stovetop at medium-high. Ignite one tablespoon of rum in a spoon and pour into the pan to catch the rest of the rum on fire.
6. Cook pineapple until browned. Remove from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.
7. Serve over greek yogurt. Add pecans or almonds on top.
8. Enjoy!