Gratineed Pineapple

I enjoy making this for parties as it's a beautiful presentation. The combination of coconut, macadamia nuts and rum on pineapple is such a classic. Trader Joe's sells organic sweetened condensed milk in a squeeze bottle which works perfect for this. And cooking with booze is one of my favorite things.... I even put some in the food sometimes like here - dark RUM is a great addition. I've done this without for baby showers and it's still good. Yes, cutting the pineapple takes some patience and caution but it's worth it. First, trim the ugly leaves off and strange ones at the bottom using scissors. I use a large knife, stab the center to cut in half, then push the rest of the way down towards the leaf end and push hard to get a clean cut. Then, cut in half again starting at the bottom first then moving down towards the leaf end. Then with a paring knife, carefully cut the pineapple scooping it out along the skin. Remove core with that big knife, put pineapple back in the shell, pare down the center and then crosswise into small pieces. The rest is pretty self explanatory. I'd recommend processing the cookies and nuts together then a quick few pulses to the coconut so the topping is evenly chopped in the food processor. The smell as this cooks is amazing and again it is beautiful and delicious!

Festive and fun!