Caramelized Pineapple Topping — The Sweet Finish to a $20.49 Ham Christmas

Brayden is one hundred and thirty-two weeks old. The pregnancy is at thirty-two weeks. This Sunday’s Pantry Rules post is a small retrospective — the caramelized pineapple topping I had made for the small Christmas ham four months ago, which had been the small budget-elegant finish to a $20.49 ham dinner that had fed our family of three plus the Bryants who had been visiting.

The caramelized pineapple topping is a small saucepan-cooked condiment — canned pineapple chunks (in juice, not syrup), brown sugar, butter, a small splash of rum (or apple juice for non-alcoholic), simmered together until the liquid has reduced and the pineapple has lightly caramelized at the edges. The topping is spooned over a baked ham at the table for the small visual-and-flavor flourish.

The economics of the Christmas ham deserve a small note. The full ham (a seven-pound boneless ham from the Reasor’s Christmas sale) was $20.49. The pineapple topping ingredients added about $1.30. The total ham-and-topping cost was $21.79. The dinner served six adults plus Brayden plus generous-leftovers. The per-serving cost was about $3.10. The Pantry Rules philosophy in action.

Sunday I made a small batch of the topping at the apartment as the retrospective-bake. Dustin had it over the small leftover-Easter-ham. Brayden had a small piece of plain pineapple-chunk (no rum).

Mama and Cody have continued to run the small Sapulpa-cafe at its small steady-state pace. The breakfast rush moves through. The lunch-plate-special rotates daily. The Friday-regional-special slot keeps the small adventurous-element alive. Cody’s pop-up Tuesday continues to sell out within an hour of the Friday-menu-post.

The technique-detail I always lean on: the temperature of the cooking-surface matters more than the temperature in the recipe. A hot pan with cold ingredients fails. A medium pan with room-temperature ingredients succeeds. Let the small ingredients come to the small kitchen-temperature before the small cooking starts.

Caramelized Pineapple Topping

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple rings or chunks, drained, juice reserved
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice

Instructions

1. Drain and prep. Drain the pineapple thoroughly, reserving at least 2 tablespoons of the juice. Pat the pineapple pieces dry with paper towels — this helps them caramelize instead of steam.
2. Melt the butter. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until it begins to foam. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves into the butter, about 1–2 minutes.
3. Add the pineapple. Arrange the pineapple in a single layer in the skillet. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until the bottom is deep golden brown, then flip and cook another 3–4 minutes on the other side.
4. Deglaze and finish. Pour in the reserved pineapple juice and stir gently, scraping up any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the pineapple.
5. Serve. Spoon warm over a baked or glazed ham just before serving. The topping can also be made 30 minutes ahead and gently rewarmed over low heat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 110 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 30mg