I always wanted to have a piece of Finland in this blog. When I was starting with this, it wasn't long before I got this idea to some day prepare something in sauna. That would be so Finnish. Preparing meals in sauna was a thing in the past, and these days people mostly roast sausages there.
Then I remembered the existence of very unique cookbook called Saunakeittokirja (Written by Katariina Vuori and Janne Pekkala, published in 2014). The book is about cooking in sauna. Reading it last summer gave me some good information - so big thanks to everyone involved making it.
It's likely I'll be writing several posts about pineapple dishes made in sauna, so I decided to start with something very simple; Caramelized pineapple. For cooking it I'll be using the sauna stove - food can be prepared several ways on its rocks. My sauna is authentic Finnish wood-heated sauna, it's what I always had around. It might be essential to know while reading this post.
Sorry for poor quality of the photos and the video (and the lack of them). Sorry for not writing Finnish version (still might write it at some point)
Ingredients
- Half of a medium-size pineapple, cut into spears
- 2 tbsp brown cane sugar
- 2 tbsp liquid margarine
Instructions
Gather all the things you are going to need in sauna; cast-iron pan (can't use just any material, cast-iron stuff is good), grill tongs (the longer the better), oven mitts (again, the longer the better), a trivet and whatever you would normally have for sauna.
Before heating up the sauna: Arrange the rocks of the sauna stove. You are going to need steady base for a cast-iron pan. The spot closer to the chimney is good, since it'll be the hottest place. More importantly, just have the spot in a place that you can reach easily. It'll be much safer, and it'll be less likely to accidentally make a mess.
Make sure the pan sits well on the rocks, but don't leave it there just yet. Put it aside in a place where it won't cause trouble (people sitting on it or touching it..), but let it be inside the sauna during the heating and time spent there before cooking. Placing cold pan on the rocks can break it.
Heat up the sauna. While waiting it to be ready, it's good time to cut the pineapple. I used half of a pineapple, since the pieces fit well on the pan.
The most important part: Enjoy the sauna!
When starting the cooking part, still have some logs burning. It will make sure pineapple will be ready fast and have some color. At this point I had just around +95℃ in my sauna. Don't get back to splashing water after you have the pan on the stove.
For safety, wear some clothes along with oven mitts. Place the now hot pan on its spot and let it heat up for just 10 minutes. Meanwhile first spread the liquid margarine and then brown sugar on pineapple pieces.
Carefully place the pineapple pieces in a pan. Don't drop anything on the rocks, keep the plate/bowl close to the pan and use tongs. DO NOT let ANY water drop on the pan. Stir the pieces a few times while frying them for 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and fry for another 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the pan from the sauna stove. Place it on a trivet. Enjoy the pineapple while the pieces are still warm, I would suggest having it with vanilla ice cream. This time I didn't have any, so I ended up having it with with pineapple coconut peach yogurt that I had in the fridge. Great combination too!
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