Pineapple Casserole

[shipperx]

Okay, I'm going to break my streak of 100 things meme posts being about nutrition. This is the opposite of nutrition.

This one is...well... sinful.

I'm not even sure what made me think of this the other day. I haven't had it in decades. I just had the craving and a vague memory of what was in it, making google my friend.

Unsurprisingly, from what I could find, it appears to be a Southern thing. Certainly, I grew up with it in the South. Did anyone else have anything like it when growing up? We all live within our culture so it's hard to know whether something is as ubiquitous as it seems while growing up. (It being such an odd, fat-laden combo makes me think it's probably mostly Southern, so I'm curious. Anyone else have anything like it?)

I found it on a couple of sites. The more amusing write-up came from ezrapoundcake.com with:

I made another Southern spring classic, a so-wrong-it’s-right Baked Pineapple Casserole.


It’s the sort of golden mystery dish you might find bubbling away on a Southern granny’s Easter table, since pineapple goes so well with ham.

To appreciate this casserole, you have to refrain from passing judgment on its ingredients: crushed pineapple, sugar, Ritz cracker crumbs, butter and cheddar cheese. You have to accept the logic that pineapple, crackers and cheese are perfectly fine together.

Because they are.

Anyway, I splurge on my diet on weekends (you have to sometimes, right?), and since I have a craving I'm planning to make this (while attempting to reduce and/or eliminate the added sugar. Pineapple is already sweet, right?) and then discover whether I still like it. (I loved it as a kid.)

Old Fashioned Pineapple-Cheddar-Ritz Casserole (as found on DeepSouthDish.com)

• 10 oz pineapple chunks, juices reserved
• 1/8 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3/4cp cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 stick cold butter, sliced thin
• 1 sleeves of crushed Ritz crackers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1-quart casserole dish, or spray with non-stick spray; set aside. Drain the pineapple juice into a saucepan; set aside the pineapple. Combine the sugar and cornstarch and add to the juice. Heat over medium high, stirring regularly, until sugar dissolves and forms a syrup. Stir in the pineapple then transfer to the baking dish add 1/2 of the pineapple and syrup mixture, top that with 1/2 of the crushed Ritz crackers, and thinly slice 1/2 of the butter over the top. Sprinkle the cheese; repeat crackers and butter. Baked uncovered at 350 degreesF for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Comments

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of it. It must be delicious if you're craving it. Does the cheddar flavor come through very strongly?

You might need that eighth of a cup of sugar to get the bottom to caramelize well.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I remember the inside having a bit of an apple pie-like consistency so the sugar/cornstarch or sugar/flour combo may be a necessary thickened. Pineapple is pretty juicy.

[molliemole.livejournal.com]

Maybe this is not a Tennessee thing, because I've never heard of it. And, frankly, it sounds pretty bad.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It's been ages since I had it so who knows whether my opinion will have changed, but when growing up it was a pretty universal kid favorite where I lived.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

I've never even heard of anything like that-- I think you're right; it must be a regional thing. I'm curious to know how it turn out though!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm going to make it this weekend. I'll let you guys know.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Must be Southern, and Southeastern, at that, since growing up in the the West and Southwest I've never heard of such a thing (and due to my grandparents being from New Jersey, I have a lot of Northeastern things sprinkled in my lexicon).

It does sound intriguing, though; something that I would have thought of more with APPLES than pineapple, but... hmmm...

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

One website that had the recipe mentioned that its similar to the recipe for mock apple pie so something similar to this probably has been done with apples. It's that pretty deadly (but usually tasty) combo of sweet and salty.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

This Northeastener (now transplanted to the Northwest) has never heard of it. But if cheddar goes with apple pie, it probably goes with pineapple, right?

I often find that things I loved as a kid are too sweet for me as an adult.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I suspect the added sugar may be unnecessary. Grilled pineapple works, right? I think the hook of it was the sweet pineapple with the salty crackers.

[rahirah]

Hmm. It sounds interesting, though I think I'd modify it heavily if I were gonna try it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Made it. I reduced the sugar to less than a tablespoon (and you could perhaps do with less than that.) Still yummy. Next time I'll either purer some of the pineapple or use a small can of crushed to make it a little more juicy. Other than that, still good.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I've lived in the south for almost 20 years now, but I don't think I can get behind this one. :D

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It's no more strange than Hawaiian Pizza -- which also has pineapple and cheese.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I don't do THAT either!! ;) Citrus + cheese = my brain broken.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Made it and it's still delicious. :)

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

I can't find my Southern Foodways Alliance Cookbook, but when I find it I'll check to see if there's a similar recipe in it. The whole book is predicated on Southern roots recipes.

In the meantime, I thought the dish sounded familiar, and I found this recipe from M.K. Brown's Aunt Mary's Kitchen Cookbook. Brown appears to be a native of the Bay Area, but one of the major contributors to the cookbook is from Texas and I think this is her recipe (warning: it's about 5 times sweeter than yours):

Baked Pineapple Salad

4 slices bread, cubed
1 15-oz. can crushed pineapple
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
A handful of miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a buttered 1-1/2 quart casserole for 1-1/2 hours. Great as a side dish with holiday dinners. Makes 8 servings.

As someone who is fascinated with Southern food, I think both recipes sound...good. Horrifying, but good.

ETA: SFAC didn't have anything close, and neither did The Best of the Best from Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, nor The Cracker Kitchen. Maybe the recipe is extremely regional.

EATA: I had more luck searching for "Baked" or "Hot" Pineapple Salad, including a recipe from Clay Aiken, which he did on Martha Stewart's show! Isn't he from North Carolina? At any rate, they're all almost exactly like your recipe.