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Pineapple Rings
Select pineapple that has been canned whole, and cut into rings 1/4 in. thick, or use sliced canned pineapple; simmer in thick syrup until it is firm and candied. Remove from syrup and place them in draining pan that has been well greased. When dry, dip the rings in melted sweet chocolate, and sprinkle with grated nut meats.
A candied-fruit confection built entirely from canned pineapple, meant for the Christmas sweet tray. The work is in the drying, not the cooking.
- Whole canned pineapplePineapple canned whole in a tall tin appears to have been available when this was written and is now hard to find. Standard canned rings, drained and blotted, give the same result; syrup-packed fruit is the closer match to what the recipe assumes.
- "Thick syrup"This means a heavy sugar syrup, weighted towards sugar rather than water and boiled until noticeably thick before the fruit goes in. The rings are simmered gently until translucent and firm at the edges; the recipe gives no timing, and it will vary with the thickness of the slices.
- Don't rush the simmerThis is the hinge. Hard boiling makes the rings shrink, tear and turn leathery, and they will not take chocolate cleanly. Keep the syrup barely moving and let the sugar work its way in slowly.
- Draining and drying"When dry" is longer than it sounds: a greased rack or oiled parchment over a tray, and several hours to overnight in a warm dry room. Any surface moisture will make the chocolate streak or slide off.
- Sweet chocolateIn this period "sweet chocolate" meant a sweetened dark eating chocolate, sweeter than bittersweet and containing no milk. A relatively sweet dark chocolate, somewhere in the 40-50% cacao range, is the nearest match.
- Melting the chocolateMelt over warm, not hot, water, stirring until smooth, and avoid overheating. A firm, glossy set depends on tempering rather than on gentle heat alone; an untempered coating will be softer and duller. Nuts must go on while the chocolate is still wet.
- Yield and keepingA standard 20 oz tin of rings gives about eight to ten pieces. Store them in a single layer between sheets of parchment in a cool place, not the refrigerator, where condensation will bloom the chocolate.