Sundaes have a humble origin. Several cities, including Evanston, Illinois, Ithaca, New York, New Orleans, LA, and Two Rivers in Wisconsin, claim to have invented the treat first. Two of these cities, Two Rivers and Ithaca, have decades-long rivalries about which one reached the proverbial finish line first.
History differs in terms of the reason for the spelling. One says retailers liked using “Sundae” because it implied it was available all week (not just Sunday). Oddly, Soda may have spurred the “invention” of the Sundae. Blue laws made Soda Pop illegal to sell on Sundays (yes, really!). So druggists, who could now not sell Root Beer Floats on Sunday, created a business of serving Ice cream with chocolate sauce.
This dessert enlivens Sundays by using grilled pineapple. Grilling brings out the fruit’s natural sweetness and carnalizes it. Please use fresh pineapple. The canned version won’t hold up on the barbecue.
TIP: You can substitute bananas in this recipe. Slice them and lightly grill them on the flat side. This recipe serves 5
Pineapple Coconut Sundae
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh pineapple
- Vegetable oil
- ¼ cup flaked coconut
- 1 pint vanilla bean ice cream**
Instructions
- Peel and core the pineapple
- Slice it in ½ pieces
- Turn your grill to medium heat
- Lightly brush both sides of the pineapple rings with oil.
- Grill the pineapple for 4 minutes on each side (they should have a light char and slight toasty color)
- Cut them into bite-size morsels
- Put a hardy scoop of ice cream in your serving vessel
- Top with the coconut
- Place the bits of pineapple all around the rim.