Candied Pineapple for Son’s Wedding Cake

Question: My son is being married in June. Since he and his bride are honeymooning in Hawaii, I want to use a special pineapple-macadamia nut recipe I have for the wedding cake. Trouble is, it calls for candied pineapple which I can’t find this time of year. Can you tell me where to find some or give me a recipe?

Answer: We’ll do both. The Ultimate Nut & Candy Co. carries candied pineapple year round in their stores at Farmer’s Market, 3rd and Fairfax, Los Angeles, and 11849 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Their other stores in Topanga Plaza Mall, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park; 223 Del Amo Fashion Square, Torrance, and Mission Valley Center, 1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, can order the product and provide delivery in a couple of days.

If you want to make the fruit yourself, Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie, authors, suggest using pineapple packed in its own juice for candying. Here is the recipe from their book “Better Than Store-Bought” (Harper & Row: 1979):

CANDIED PINEAPPLE

2 (15-ounce) cans pineapple chunks in juice

1/3 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

Extra-fine sugar

Drain pineapple well, reserving juice. Place 1 cup juice in wide enameled or stainless steel skillet. Add corn syrup and sugar and bring to boil. Boil until syrup spins short thread, or small amount of syrup tipped from spoon over pot forms filament 2 to 3 inches long rather than dripping from spoon.

Add pineapple chunks and simmer until pineapple is translucent, up to 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 12 hours or overnight.

Return syrup and fruit to boil, stirring once or twice. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, then set pan aside to cool again.

If syrup is very thick, remove chunks of pineapple with fork and place on wire rack covered with cheesecloth. If syrup is thin, remove fruit to bowl, boil syrup again until it spins short thread, return fruit and let cool again. Remove pineapple pieces to rack.

Allow pineapple pieces to dry in warm, dry room or in gas oven heated only by pilot light for several hours until pieces look glazed. Remove from cloth and complete drying on wire rack. Reserve syrup to use as base for fruit punch.

When chunks are almost dry, sprinkle on all sides with extra-fine sugar. Continue to dry until not at all moist, but still pliable. Store candied fruit up to several months in closed cardboard box or plastic storage container in layers separated by wax paper. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.

Note: Extra-fine sugar may be made by processing granulated sugar in food processor until very fine.