Cinnamon and Citrus Pineapple

Cinnamon and Citrus Pineapple

If you are like me you were tempted to buy a luscious pineapple for your fruit bowl, but then with all the mince pies and Christmas Pudding, it hasn’t yet been eaten. Here is a lovely way to enjoy ripe pineapple.

Serves 4

  • 1 medium pineapple 338 kcals
  • 10g unsalted butter 72 kcals
  • 120g 0% fat fromage blanc (or fromage frais) 56 kcals
  • 1 lime 20 kcals
  • 2 tsp acacia honey 40 kcals
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 6 kcals
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 6 kcals

To garnish

  • A generous pinch of ground cinnamon
  • Lime zest

Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, stand on a board and cut away the skin.

Cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 4, making 8 even-sized spears.

Cut off and discard the central core from each spear.

Grate the lime zest, or remove the outer coloured layer with a peeler (avoiding the pith) and then cut into shreds, or use a zester.

Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice.

Mix half of the cinnamon in with the fromage blanc, which you can whisk lightly to create more volume (this doesn’t work so well with fromage frais).

Mix 2 teaspoons of honey with the remaining cinnamon and grated nutmeg into the lime juice.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and fry the pineapple over medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning so that it is just starting to brown lightly on all sides.

Pour in the lime sauce and let it bubble for a couple of minutes, spooning it over the pineapple to give a good glazed coating.

Serve the pineapple with any remaining pan juices drizzled over and a helping of fromage frais, garnished with lime zest and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Per serving kcals 135
Carbs 28g Fat 2g Protein 3g

Vary this by adding some finely chopped crystallised ginger in with the fromage blanc – only 31kcal for 10g.

**Do use cinnamon from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) if possible and try to avoid inferior varieties, which are usually Cinnamomum cassia from China or Indonesia, rather than Cinnamomum verum, which is considered safer to use in large quantities. Either variety may be helpful for stabilising blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.