Pineapple Carpaccio with Caramelised Walnuts

Is the most depressing thing about New Year the endless magazine and newspaper articles about boringly abstemious diets?  As a pudding lover, I find this relentless food fascism very irritating, especially in the English winter, where a good pudding will keep out the cold far better than a couple of fancy dandelion leaves....  and you can tell Gwyneth Paltrow I said so!   Having said all that, this is my token "diet pudding" - a really quick and easy fruit carpaccio - light, refreshing and healthy.    Don't worry, I'll be back on form next time with some delicious winter iced buns....

Pineapple Carpaccio with Caramelised Walnuts

Pineapple Carpaccio with Caramelised Walnuts

1 pineapple, peeled  

2oz/50g walnut pieces

2oz/50g dark soft brown sugar

2oz/50g butter

Fresh basil (or mint)

2 tbsp rum

Slice the pineapple in rounds as thinly as you can, using a bread knife.  I then cored it (maybe I should have done this first!), as I thought the inner parts were still a bit too woody to be acceptable.  Arrange the pineapple on a flat serving dish and pour on the rum.

In a frying pan, bubble together the sugar and butter and drop in the walnuts.  Fry for a couple of minutes until the sugar and butter have coated the walnuts and they are slightly caramelised (if in doubt, don’t do this for too long as it will burn).

Sprinkle the caramelised walnuts and any delicious caramelised lumps of sugar on the pineapple.  Decorate with strips of fresh basil or mint.