Turkey needs stuffing. Everyone knows that. Beef gets potatoes. Lamb and rice. Chicken and rice. Or chicken and stuffing.
Where am I going with this? Ham.
What’s the side that goes with ham? Oh sure, I always put something with ham, but there’s never been anything guaranteed to pop into my mind when I think of ham. Until now.
Now whenever I think of ham, I’ll think of pineapple stuffing.
Ingredients
3/4 of a pineapple, crushed
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
10 slices firm white bread
Directions
You can do this with canned crushed pineapple. But if you can get it fresh you should. Peel and dice it like I showed yesterday.
After the dicing, I realized the bowl I was using was much too small to do the mashing in, so I transferred to a larger. Someday I’ll learn my lesson and start every recipe in my largest bowl.
Using a potato masher — or the Pampered Chef Mix N Chop, which I find ridiculously useful — crush the pineapple.
Slice the bread, then cut into large cubes.
Add the butter and sugar and mix with the beater until combined.
If you’re doing this by hand … well, good luck. No, actually just let it come to room temperature first. Doing this by hand with cold butter is asking for a sprained wrist.
Beat the eggs into the butter / sugar mixture one at a time. If you’re using a stand mixer, just crack them in while it’s running.
Once all the eggs are incorporated, pour that into the pineapple and stir.
Gently fold the bread cubes into the wet ingredients. You don’t want to mash the bread.
The wet mixture is very dense, which is why I suggested a firm white bread. Fluffy-soft sandwich bread will turn to mush in this.
Pour everything into a 9×13 baking dish.
Don’t worry about greasing the dish, there’s more than enough butter in there to keep it from sticking.
Bake at 400° until the top starts turning golden brown, about an hour.
Serve warm with ham.
The saltiness of ham and the sweetness of pineapple has always been a winning combination.
And that’s it.
Okay, you don’t technically stuff anything with it. Don’t be picky.
The Announcement
I’m doing my next TV appearance today at 10 on That’s Life, With Robin Swoboda. If you’re in the Cleveland market, you can see it live on Channel 8. Otherwise, check back tomorrow and I should have a link to the segment on their website.
25 Comments
I have four pineapples in my kitchen at this very moment. But I will not be making this stuffing with them. They’re intended for other things. Like feeding the hordes descending on our house Saturday for my brother-in-law’s wedding.
Sigh.
Have fun with Robin and the girls. You were such a hit with them last time, I’m sure this time will be even more fun.
(oops above)
This looks so good! Like dessert, but a side…but dessert! We’ll be in the Cleveland area for a wedding Saturday can we stop by for a bite? LOL
Great news about another tv appearance!
This looks great! But I needed it *Saturday* to go with my ham on *Sunday*!! This recipe looks like it would have been so YUMMY!
Oh wow, that looks wicked good. I love pineapple, I’ve never seen it done up like that before though. And I say stuffing is a concept, not an action. It can be stuffing if it doesn’t get stuffed into something.
Kristin, they had guys at the counter this time. Bummer!
April, I’d say I’ll check my calendar, but I suspect you’ve already got plans.
Try and Christina, yes, but I wanted it on Sunday with my ham. Don’t worry, I’ll post a pointer to it next year the week before Easter.
Bob, technically if you don’t put it in the bird it’s called “dressing”. Yes, I’m the guy who will use the technically-correct term. No I’m not the guy who will correct people who don’t.
Oh, wow! I made a casserole like this a few years ago and it was outrageous! Can’t believe I’d forgotten about it. But it was called “Scalloped Pineapple.” When I get back home, I have to find the recipe again… It isn’t on my “traveling” hard drive so it must be in a cookbook… Thanks, Drew, for the reminder… YUM!
So I had to delurk to say WOOHOO! That sounds and looks like it will be a huge hit in my house. We have ham steaks for dinner all the time and next time I’m adding some pineapple stuffing to the plate. Thanks! I’m curious, is it in any way similar to pineapple upside down cake in taste? (either way is a good answer)
Barb, my wife did say it looked like scalloped potatoes.
Humincat, it tasted a lot like pineapple upside-down cake. I can’t believe I forgot to mention that. You could easily top it with whipped cream and serve as a dessert.
Wow, ham is finally getting a fair shake!
Good gravy….my husband is going to be bowing down to you after I make this. He loves all things pineapple.
It looks sooo good, unfortunately we won’t be able to enjoy because of all the eggs:( (egg allergy) Wish there was another way to make it without them. If you ever come up with one please post it.
Who needs ham when you’ve got this?! I vote add some salt and some chopped, candied nuts of some sort (macadamias, maybe), some toasted coconut and call it a tropical bread pudding. Like I said, what ham?!
Can’t wait to see your TV spot, Drew–very cool!
Ellie, ham seems to have gotten a reputation as a “special occasion” food. I don’t know why, it’s good and fairly inexpensive.
Amy, no bowing, just send email to Food Network telling them to hire me.
Kybin, take a look at the egg substitutes I listed a while back. I’d try replacing half with bananas, and the other half with arrowroot.
Jenni, top with honey roasted almond slivers. Oh wow, got to try that.
That looks ridiculously delicious. I’ll have to try that. Once I get over my morning sickness and aversion to baked goods… But still, it looks like it tastes incredible!
I have a few pineapples in my kitchen as they were on sale at the supermarket. Now I know what to do with them! I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy my fruits and this looks good.
That’s great about your appearance on TV. I’m sure you had fun and were great!
OK now I know what to make when the stepson, the pineapple obsessed one, comes over. The ham would be an inexpensive way to feed him as well.
I remember my grandma making scalloped potatoes when making ham. And green beans. That's what I think of as sides for ham. Of course the leftover ham (if there was any!) would go into the pot of split pea or ham & bean soup. Guess I'm going to get a ham.
Stephanie, your morning sickness prevents baked goods? I am so glad I’m not your husband right now. I don’t know what I’d have done without a Dunkin’ Donuts right around the corner.
Dinneen, it must be harvest time in Costa Rica. I haven’t seen them all winter, and suddenly they’re everywhere.
The Other Stephanie, you know what? Scalloped potatoes is probably as close as I can think of to the “standard side” for ham. I can’t think of why that didn’t come to mind. Must be because I just don’t have ham that often. And like I said above, why is that?
I nominated you for a Blog Award. Here’s my post about it:
http://fibrofoggy.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-nice-surprise.html
Amy, I appreciate the thought, but with blog awards I’d have to decide who to pick, and who to leave out. I prefer to share links to good sites as I find them.
Bet and I made this for our gathering last night. Bet made her beautiful egg bread for it and we put the left over chopped up ham in it. It was fabulous. And yes I agree with the person who said this is like a desert. I love bread pudding and I am looking forward to making it sans the ham and maybe some vanilla and coconut and turning it into a summer bread pudding (I’m a seasonal eater and bread pudding is a winter food for me.) So I gotta say I am glad that I didn’t stop reading your blog a few days back. Oh and for me it did not need a whole hour. Barely forty minutes and then it was a little over done.
Lanny, I suspect cooking time is really dependent on the type and amount of bread you used. I’ll have to remember to keep a close eye on it next time I make it. Thanks for the tip.
I just saw this post and had to comment…this recipe has been a tradition with our family forever! We call is “Scalloped Pineapple” We all fight over the crunchy edge pieces. It’s a huge it wherever I take it.
I’ve heard a couple of people call it that. I’m going to have to see what’s the earliest reference I can find to this basic recipe, and what it was called first.
This absolutely devine! I did cut the sugar back a tad because the pineapple was very ripe and juicy. I cut to 1.5 cups and it probably could have been cut to 1 cup, but didnt want to alter it too much. This was so good. I did let the stuffing cool enough to handle it with my hands and rolled it up in sliced applewood smoked ham (sandwich sliced) and served it as a fruit roll up! So very good.
Oh this looks good.
I've made a pineapple casserole before that is wonderful.
When I first saw the recipe I thought it sounded really bad…but I got brave and tried it.
Pineapple…cheddar cheese…buttered Ritz cracker crumbs…all good things, but together?
Yes.
I really need to make that again.
(Or go to a church covered-dish dinner.)