Aunt Helen’s Summer Pineapple Dessert, Plus a Bean Salad to Justify It

I really did have an Aunt Helen.

She was the tiny, fearless wife of my father’s oldest brother and mother to six of my 45 first cousins. She had beautiful style in her clothes and danced to 1960s and ’70s rock better than any of us in the next generation. What she did not do was give me the recipe for Aunt Helen’s Pineapple Dessert.

The lady who did was a native of North Carolina descended from many generations of folks who settled in the Winston-Salem area. She was another “Aunt Helen,” one of those all-community aunts for anyone of her acquaintance who was younger than her and quite a few in her own generation. I was not related to her, but she took me under her wing in a (to me) very strange culture.

I first experienced this Aunt Helen’s Pineapple Dessert at a work potluck, and my taste buds fell in love. She agreed to give me the recipe as soon as she stopped laughing at my ignorance concerning the very foreign term “pound cake.” It doesn’t exist in Scotland. But I’ve been making this dessert at intervals ever since for people all over the U.S., Australia, and Scotland, including scores of those 45 first cousins. 

Aunt Helen’s Pineapple Dessert

For the pound cake:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

4 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then set aside.

3. Beat the butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until creamy. Add the sugar and mix for an additional 2 minutes until combined. Scrape the bowl down and beat a few more seconds.

4. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl down and beat until fully incorporated.

5. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Scrape the bowl down.

6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Scrape the bowl down and use your spatula to mix in any pockets of flour or butter that remain.

7. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, then smooth it into an even layer. Bake for about 65 minutes or until the center is set and a skewer comes out clean.

8. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

For the pineapple part:

2 cups milk

2 beaten egg yolks

1 cup sugar

3 ounces lemon Jell-O crystals

2 egg whites

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

1 pint whipping cream

1. In a pan on low heat, slowly warm the milk and beaten egg yolks with the sugar. 

2. Pour this over the lemon Jell-O crystals until dissolved. Cool until partially jelled. 

3. Whip up the egg whites until beaten stiff (add a pinch of cream of tartar and ensure there is not a trace of yolk or anything else in the bowl). Fold into the milk mixture with the pineapple.

4. Whip up the whipping cream and fold that in too.

5. Layer the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan. Add enough pineapple filling to generously cover. Alternate with more cake and finish with filling.

6. Chill overnight.

Black Bean and Roast Corn Salad

But before the decadent dessert comes the healthy dinner. This one arose from desperation.

What do you serve when you invite a friend for dinner who is a gluten-free vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables and whose doctor insists she eat more protein? 

It was a really hot summer day. The full dimensions of this dilemma didn’t dawn on me until I went shopping for ingredients. Everything I came up with failed at least one of the tests. This salad rose to the challenge by a process of elimination. Fortunately, it was a success for everyone at the table and not just that one friend.

Both the salad and the dessert are perfect for these summer days when people are hungry for something cool and refreshing. 

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained 

1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped 

1/2 English cucumber, cubed

1 cup freshly roasted corn, sliced off the cob. Or frozen corn if needs be.

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 

1/2 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

Juice of 1 lime 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

1 avocado, chopped 

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped 

1/2 tsp. ground cumin 

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Mix all the vegetables, cheese, and beans in a large bowl. Mix the garlic, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil separately. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Chill before serving.

Click here for a printable version of this month's KP Cooks.