Upside down pineapple muffins

Upside down pineapple muffins

Upside down pineapple muffins

We are lucky that in London, pineapples seem to be now in season, hence the supermarkets offering great offers on pineapples. It is always a bit daunting to buy a pineapple at first if you are not sure whether it is ripe or not. There is nothing worse than fruit that is not ripe, since it seems to detract from the magical taste of fruit.

One rough guide is to try to pull one of the leaves on top of a pineapple, if it comes out easily it is a sign of ripeness. However, this must also be matched with the colour of the skin. It should be clear of any green and should be a golden colour. Sometimes it is a question of judgment. The pineapple that I used for this recipe was a week old, golden in colour, but the leaves did not come out easily. I could tell though from its smell that it was ready and sure enough it proved to be very juicy.

This is a quick and easy recipe that will fit very well in a lunchbox, perhaps introducing fruit to a young person.

Ripe pineapple!

 

Ingredients:

150g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

100g light muscovado sugar

100g ground almonds

100g plain gluten free flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

1/2 pineapple peeled and cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a mixing bowl cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time to mix. Add the flours and baking powder until combined. In a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases, divide the mixture evenly (just over 1 tablespoon.

Three's a crowd?

Divide the pineapple pieces on top of the mixture. Pop into the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.

Golden delicious

You should be left with a lovely light, moist muffin with juicy pineapple pieces to enjoy at lunch or on a picnic.

Juicy muffins

So, how do you test the ripeness of a pineapple?