Grilled Pineapple with Basil and Lime Sugar
Believe it or not, grilled pineapple and basil is one of the best dessert flavour combinations – basil is so aromatic and floral, it is stunning with sweet tropical pineapple. It’s all brought together by the sharpness of the lime, and cool, creamy yoghurt.
Ingredients
Grilled pineapple
- 1 fresh pineapple
- 1 teaspoon butter or coconut oil
Basil and lime sugar
- 10 basil leaves remove all stems
- 1 lime zested
- ¼ cup white sugar
To Serve
- 1/2 cup natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons coconut thread or coconut flakes lightly toasted
- 1 lime cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
- Cut skin off pineapple using a sharp knife. Cut pineapple in half lengthways, then slice 1cm thick. Cut out tough inner core from each piece.
- Heat butter in a grill pan on medium to high heat. Grill pineapple for about 2 minutes each side or until caramelized. Alternatively, cook pineapple on the barbeque.
- To make the basil lime sugar, bash basil leaves and lime zest with 2-3 teaspoons of the sugar in a mortar and pestle, until a green paste forms. Add remaining sugar and mix into the paste with a teaspoon – it will turn into bright green sugar!
- To serve, place 3-4 slices of grilled pineapple on each plate and sprinkle over basil lime sugar and coconut. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt on the side, and wedge of lime to squeeze over just before eating.
Notes
Grilled pineapple would hands-down be one of my favourite desserts – it never fails to make people go “wow!” and, on top of that, it’s dead easy and fast to make – my kind of dessert! It’s gluten-free and is dairy-free if you use coconut yoghurt (which complements the tropical flavours beautifully) but also would be great with regular Greek yoghurt.