Pineapple Flowers

Impress everyone around the table with these delicate blooms that look beautiful and also happen to be completely edible. Made from dried pineapple, these flowers add a fancy finish to any dessert, from Bundt cakes to pies, and they look great on a cocktail too. And they’re not that hard to pull off. To make pineapple flowers, you’ll need a ripe pineapple, a chefs’ knife, a 1/8 teaspoon measure, a muffin pan, and time. Because the pineapple must be cut into very thin (about 1/8-inch thick) slices, it’s important that your knife is very sharp—if you can’t remember the last time you sharpened it, it’s a good idea to sharpen the blade before you begin. Once you’ve sliced the pineapple, blot the fruit with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. The cooking process is done in a low oven, so that the fruit can dry out without burning. Keep an eye on the slices as it gets close to the end of the bake time so that they don’t overbrown or burn. The trick to getting the slices to curve into a flower-like shape is to put the still-warm slices inside the cavities of a 12-cup muffin pan. Shape the petals upward and let them dry at least 8 hours before using.