ROASTED PINEAPPLE AND PROSCIUTTO, QUEEN MARY 2
RECIPE: The simplest of preparations, to deliver a complexity of flavors, especially the play between salt and sweet, a killer combo.
Merely prepare a pineapple by trimming it of its skin and crown, coring it, and slicing its fruit into strips as thin as possible. Roast, broil, or pan-sear the strips until slightly charred. Let cool slightly.
Pair on a plate with thin slices of prosciutto (or other cured ham, but always with its fat). Garnish with whatever savory greens that you have (arugula, chervil, flat-leaf parsley, or the like).
Wine Pairings and Whys: Because ham is salty, it’s a difficult partner for wine. Because ripe pineapple is sweet, it’s a difficult partner for dry wine of any stripe. The key is to choose wines that are low in alcohol, tannin and “extract” (all the stuff in red wine that coats your teeth). Salt makes wines, especially those low in acidity, taste flat or dull. Sweetness just doesn’t mix with dry wine. (Think about drinking a sip of Chablis with some vanilla ice cream, ugh.) Opt here for wines high in acidity or tune to the color dial and pour pink wine with pink meat, an off-dry rosé with lots of fresh, bracing acidity. Other possibilities: A low-alcohol Sauvignon Blanc from California, Spanish Txakoli, white or rosé, or a light-bodied Italian Schiava.