Pineapple

This is a nice change of pace from more common soy sauce–flavored stir-fries, but it’s just as quick and every bit as delectable. Don’t be alarmed by the ingredient list, which is relatively long compared with those in most recipes in this book. It really is a quick dish, and with such an array of healthy components, you’ll need little else to make a satisfying meal.

Every time I bite into a piece of Banana Cream Pie (page 109), I immediately start thinking about banana splits. Shortly after coming up with the cream pie recipe, it occurred to me that with the addition of just a few more ingredients, I could re-create a classic banana split, which includes bananas, strawberries, and pineapple, ensconced in a cream filling. With a Marshmallow Fluff Whipped Cream topping, a sprinkle of walnuts, and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce, Ultimate Banana Split Pie is as close as you can get to the real thing. For best results, make this pie the day you intend on serving it so that the bananas do not turn and the juices don’t break down the cream.

When Kelly told me he was going to try making a pineapple pie, I thought he was crazy. I’ve heard of pineapple in a lot of things . . . but pie? Wanting no part in this, I told him to go for it, and walked away. A few days later, I found myself biting into Kelly’s first attempt. It wasn’t bad—granted, it wasn’t great either—but I began to think he was on to something. With my curiosity piqued, I decided to take a stab at it myself. Today, Pineapple Crumb Pie is one of the more popular pies we sell. For a more tropical variation of this pie, you can also try it with Macadamia-Coconut Crumb Topping (page 13).

When I first entered this pie in the 2010 National Pie Championships, I called it Tropical Explosion, and that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the taste. Pineapples don’t ripen after they’re picked, so be sure to look for pineapples that are green only at the crown with a golden yellow body (green bodies indicate they aren’t ripe). Smell a pineapple at its stem to make sure it has a sweet odor. Even in the dark, cold days of winter, the fresh, tangy flavors of pineapple and mango floating under a coconut-infused topping will conjure up images of a hot Caribbean beach.

We like to serve this cake warm, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you wish, you can make it a day in advance and keep it at room temperature loosely covered with foil. When ready to serve, warm the cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 300°F oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Some say the hummingbird cake, a Southern specialty replete with pineapple chunks, bananas, coconut, and walnuts, earned its name because each otherworldly bite makes you hum with delight. Others hold that the cake is as sweet as the sugared water used to attract the tiny birds. Adorned with dried-pineapple “flowers,” the cupcake variation makes a beautiful presentation for Mother’s Day. To give the flowers a cupped shape (shown opposite), cool them in muffin tins as described on page 323 (instead of on a wire rack, shown below).

These tropical cupcakes, scaled-down versions of the most well-known upside-down cake, have a retro appeal thanks to the flambéed fruit filling.

For this woven pie-dough pattern, the spacing of the strips is varied to create a seemingly complex geometric design that is actually no more difficult than a basic lattice. Rum-poached pineapple pieces peek out from beneath the open-weave crust.

I’m always looking for fun recipes to make with our girls, hoping they will grow up to love cooking as much as I do. This cake is fun because they can’t believe you put all the pretty decorations on the bottom of the pan and the cake still turns out to be gorgeous!

My sister Beth’s sister-in-law, Margaret, makes this salad, and it’s a nice alternative to plain cranberry sauce for holiday meals. In fact, it’s rich enough to serve as a dessert!

This unusual take on chicken salad is a meal in itself, with the rice, fruit, and almonds as well as cooked chicken. Just add bread or crackers.

We always made this to take to Family Night suppers at church. Its official name was Congealed Fruit Salad, but it was known at our house as pink salad, because, well, it’s pink! Besides, anything with the word congealed in the title just sounds gross to me, and this is anything but.

GOOD TO KNOW In this fruit-topped, vanilla-scented cake, vegetable oil stands in for butter, reducing the amount of saturated fat in each portion. Swapping out a third of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour boosts the fiber content.

GOOD TO KNOW To impart more flavor and moistness, cook the salmon fillets with the skin intact. The skin will cook to a delightful crisp, but you can remove it before serving if desired.

My aunt Martha swears that this smoky, sweet, tropical salsa takes her back to Yucatán no matter where she is when she makes it. It works especially well with Cilantro Tandoori Chicken (page 110), but it will enhance any grilled fish or meat. If the grill’s fired up, throw the pineapple right on it; a grill pan will do just fine if you’re cooking indoors.

When it comes to pork loins, I am very much in favor of brining. You do have to start a day ahead, but the end result is succulent and juicy.