Sam Mannering is a food writer, chef and restauranteur to name a few of his skills and happens to be a willing contributor to our Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook developed with New Zealand chefs and cooks in mind. He was first given a Lodge pan as a fourteen year old for Christmas and uses it still.  

"This is an astonishingly simple Mexican dessert (that is brilliant after Adobo Prawns and stays within the theme for a dinner party). Essentially a very delicate, light baked custard, similar to crème caramel or flan. You may want to add a little bit of fresh finely chopped chilli to the pineapple, for a bit of zing."

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups whole milk
• 120g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp butter
• 3 Tbsp caster sugar
• Half a fresh pineapple
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lime

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C on fan bake.
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, first measure of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and place over a low heat. Gently cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly. Do not let it come up to a simmer or a boil; keep the heat nice and low. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down a little. Remove the cinnamon stick.
3. Grease your Lodge skillet (a 26cm skillet is perfect) with a teaspoon of butter.
4. Beat together the eggs and the second measure of sugar. In a thin, steady, continuous stream, add the milk whilst whisking until both mixtures are well combined. Pour into the greased Lodge Skillet and pop into the preheated oven. Give it about 30 minutes before peeping.
5. While the Jericalla is baking, prepare the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into 8cm chunks. Combine in a bowl with the brown sugar and lime juice and coat well to dissolve the sugar.
6. Get your Lodge grill pan going over a fairly high heat. Grill the pineapple on both sides so that it is lovely and caramelised, saving any residual liquid from the bottom of the bowl.
7. After 30 minutes of the Jericalla in the oven it should be close to set, if not already, with some lovely caramelisation on top. Pop the oven’s grill on for a few minutes to get a bit more colour if you think it needs it. Once it is set, remove from the oven and allow to cool down for 5-10 minutes. Toss together the grilled pineapple and the lime zest left in the bowl. Serve grilled pineapple alongside the Jericalla, for a delicious but light dessert for any occasion.