Brown butter pineapple upside down cake

Put a stick and a half of butter in the skillet and cook it, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom so the milk solids do not stick and burn.

When golden brown bits appear, take it off the heat and keep stirring so carryover heat finishes the browning, then scrape it into a separate bowl to cool.

Cut the stem end and base off the pineapple, stand it up and cut down and around the exterior generously, following the contour, to remove the skin and eyes.

Lay the pineapple on its side and cut eight slices between a quarter and a half inch thick, then punch the fibrous core out of each one to make rings.

In the same skillet combine the brown sugar, dark rum, half stick of butter and a generous pinch of salt.

Cook over medium-high heat, agitating constantly to prevent separation, until the moisture from the rum has cooked off, the mixture is thick and dark and leaves a trail behind the spatula.

Add the pineapple rings and cook five to ten minutes, turning them periodically, until they turn translucent and start to stick to the bottom of the skillet.

Take the skillet off the heat, arrange the slices in a pattern with full coverage, and let it cool so the caramel solidifies.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon and baking soda together.

Mix the sour cream, rum and vanilla together; it does not have to be smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350 with a rack in the centre.

Once the brown butter is opaque and at room temperature, add the light brown sugar and cream them on low then higher speed until light and fluffy, several minutes in a hand mixer.

Beat in the room temperature eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl thoroughly between them.

Add the dry and wet in alternation starting and ending with dry: a third of the dry, half the sour cream mixture, a third of the dry, the rest of the sour cream, then the rest of the dry.

Under-mix slightly with the mixer and finish folding by hand so the cake stays tender, making sure no pockets of unincorporated butter remain at the bottom.

Dollop the batter over the cooled pineapple and drape it gently with an offset spatula, going right up to but not quite touching the edge.

Bake at 350 on a sheet tray for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown across the top, springy in the centre and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool 10 to 15 minutes in the pan so the juices firm up but it does not stick, run a spatula around the edge and invert onto a rack.

Cool at least an hour before slicing with a serrated knife.

Variation: if the fruit layer goes cloudy as it cools, strain some apricot jam and brush it on as a glaze.