Such beautiful flavours here! It is amazing how a couple of spices and a little creativity can totally transform a usual granola breakfast bowl. Caramelized pineapple and banana slices with star anise, vanilla and coconut create a sweet delight with lots of flavour nuances. I also absolutely love the look of it – charred edges and glossy finish of the pineapple, the chubby star anise, soft glowing bananas, white coconut flakes… what an eye candy! It brings such a comforting feel and fills you up with anticipation of a delicious treat. Which it totally is!
The Flavour Affair:
Pineapple + Star Anise + Vanilla + Banana + Coconut
All sweet yet each with their own character, these ingredients create a truly delectable combination. Pineapple and coconut give it a tropical feel, banana and vanilla add a warm, comforting depth, and star anise brings in fresh licoricey notes. The tartness of pineapple and the contrasting juicy, creamy and crunchy textures break the overall sweetness of the dish, making it more balanced.
This delicious treat comes together in just under 15 minutes – all you need to do is to cook the pineapple and bananas and assemble the bowl by following the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Preparation tips for Caramelized Pineapple:
- Cut the pineapple into slices that are no more that 1cm thick. Otherwise there will be too much of pineapple.
- Fry the slices in butter over medium heat together with whole star anise and vanilla pod. Rich creamy butter tones down the tartness of the pineapple and heating the spices helps release their flavours.
- Add a splash of fresh pineapple juice to the pan to prevent the butter from burning.
- Add just a little bit of brown sugar – half of a tea spoon is fine. It will help thicken the sauce and caramelize the edges of the pineapple.
- The pineapple is ready once it has slightly browned on both sides.
Serving suggestions:
With coconut yoghurt and granola – all they way! Bright pineapple and mellow coconut complement each other really well and bring out the tropical character. I also have a few slices of banana in the bowl. They make a wonderful addition here, contributing with more natural sweetness and a soothing soft texture that melts into the granola. Simply add the banana slices to the pan after the pineapple is done for 1-1.5 minutes, turning once in between.
You can also use the delicious charred juicy pineapple with oats or rice porridge, over ice cream or as a sweet treat on its own, You can even add it to a seafood or duck salad!
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Caramelized Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt and Granola
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 4 slices of pineapple 1cm thick
- 12 slices of banana
- 1 whole star anise
- 1/2 vanilla pod sliced in half horizontally
- 1/3 cups fresh pineapple juice
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 150 g granola
- 500 g coconut yoghurt
- Shaved coconut
Instructions
- Melt 40g butter in a pan over low-medium heat.
- Add whole star anise and the two halves of vanilla pod and fry for 30-40 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to medium, add the pineapple juice and the sugar. Bring to simmer.
- Add the slices of pineapple and fry, turning a few times to brown on all sides.
- Once the edges have charred, remove from the pan and let cool.
- Add the slices of banana and cook for 30-40 seconds on each side until caramelized. Remove from the pan.
- If all liquid has by now evaporated, add another splash of pineapple juice and a little sugar. Simmer for a minute to get a syrup that can be drizzled over the yoghurt and granola.
- Assemble the bowl: add the granola, a scoop or two of yoghurt, top with pineapple and banana slices, sprinkle with shaved coconut and drizzle over the remaining warm syrup.
Notes
- You can store the caramelized pineapple in the fridge for an extra day.
