Sliced Pineapples

A macerated fruit dish that depends almost entirely on the pineapple itself. The instructions are complete as written; what follows is mostly about ripeness, quantities and timing.

• Choose the fruit firstNothing in the method compensates for an underripe pineapple, which will be fibrous and sharply acidic. Look for a fruit that smells sweet at the base and gives very slightly under pressure; if a leaf pulls free with little resistance, that is a traditional test, not a reliable one.
• "Objectionable eyes"The tough fibrous nodes left in the flesh after peeling. Cut the skin off thickly enough to remove most of them, or pare them out in shallow spiral grooves rather than digging at each one.
• The coreRemoving the hard central column is the step people skip and regret. It stays woody no matter how long the fruit sits in sugar.
• Powdered sugarIn books of this period this usually meant ordinary sugar ground fine rather than modern confectioners' sugar, though confectioners' sugar is the closest substitute and dissolves quickly in the fruit's juice. Granulated works but should be given a stir after ten minutes so it does not sit grainy at the bottom.
• Give it timeThe recipe implies immediate service, but the point of sugar and spirit is maceration. Twenty to thirty minutes in the refrigerator draws out enough juice to make the "liquor" the recipe tells you to pour over; much longer and the slices go limp.
• The rumTwo tablespoons of dark Jamaica rum for one small pineapple is assertive. Reduce it if you want the fruit to lead, or leave it out entirely and add a squeeze of lime.
• YieldA very small pineapple serves two, generously three, as a dessert.
• Do not add dairy or gelatinFresh pineapple contains bromelain, which digests protein: it will not set gelatin and will turn cream or custard bitter and thin if left to stand. Serve any cream alongside, added at the table.