From Paula Deen’s Home Cooking show: A Day at the Races. It sounded like an odd combination, but the tangy cheese, sweet and acidic pineapple, and buttery crackers really go well together. Of course the recipe calls for a stick of butter . . .
Cook time: 25 minutes. Skill level: easy. Yield: eight servings.
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 20-ounce cans pineapple chunks, drained – – save the juice
- 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved
- 1 cup cracker crumbs (recommend Ritz)
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), melted, plus extra for greasing pan
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks and stir until ingredients are well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
I’ve had success tossing the cheese with the sugar-flour mixture in a ziploc bag. Coating the cheese helps it to melt in individual pieces instead of forming a clump.
