Grilled Pound Cake with Pineapple Salsa and Tequila Whipped Cream
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon tequila (preferably gold)
8 slices pound cake (each 1/2 inch thick)
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pineapple Salsa (recipe follows)
4 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
1. Place the cream in a chilled mixer bowl or in a large metal bowl. Beat with a mixer until soft peaks form, starting on the slow speed and gradually increasing the speed to high. The total beating time will be 6 to 8 minutes. When soft peaks have formed, add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, and tequila. Continue beating the cream until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes longer. Don’t overbeat the cream or it will start to turn to butter. The tequila whipped cream can be made several hours ahead. Refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve.
2. Lightly brush each slice of pound cake with butter on both sides. Cook the pound cake, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box on the previous page, until lightly toasted. If desired, rotate each slice a quarter turn after 1 minute to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks. You may need to cook the pound cake slices in more than one batch.
3. Place the pound cake slices on plates. Top each serving with a spoonful of Pineapple Salsa and a dollop of tequila whipped cream, garnish with a sprig of mint, and serve at once.
Pineapple Salsa
Makes about 2 cups
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1-2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons thinly slivered fresh mint or lemon verbena
1 to 2 jalapeņo peppers (preferably red), seeded and minced (for a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, or more to taste
Place the pineapple, mint, jalapeņo(s), lime juice, and brown sugar in a nonreactive mixing bowl, but don’t mix them until 5 minutes before you are ready to serve. Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice and/or brown sugar as necessary.
Variation: Slivered mint keeps this salsa in the realm of a salad. If you really want to push the limits try substituting chopped fresh cilantro for the mint.