By Christmas preparations, which on this ranch means practical things as much as decorative ones. I brought in a tree from the timber above the house on Saturday — a small fir, about five feet, the same tradition since I came back. Patrick still has the ornaments from when we were children: painted wooden figures, a string of lights that predates anything LED, a star at the top that is missing one point and leans slightly to the left. I put them up exactly where they've always gone. The lopsided star stays.
Cole and Tara are coming for Christmas Day. Margaret is driving down from Billings on the 23rd — her first Christmas at the ranch in four years, which is a thing I didn't allow myself to anticipate too much in case it changed. But she confirmed it twice, and I've been quietly making room for it: her old room aired out, the good sheets, a fire in the bedroom fireplace that hasn't been used in three years.
The final revised manuscript is back with Sarah for a last read-through. She says we're on schedule for production in January and the May publication date is holding. I've been in the strange condition of a person who has done the main work but whose work is still happening — somewhere in an office in Bozeman, my sentences are being read by people I've never met, and the thing I built in the dark at five in the morning is becoming an object that will sit on shelves. It's a particular kind of exposure that I don't have good language for yet.
Tom brought over a Christmas gift on Friday: a first-edition copy of a mule-and-horse veterinary textbook from 1911, pages brown at the edges, the smell of a century in the paper. "For the ranch library," he said, which is what he calls the shelf in my office where I keep books about things that matter to me. I set it next to his mule book, which is where it belongs.
Gingerbread this week — the thick, dark kind with molasses and black pepper and a long rest in the refrigerator before baking. Patrick ate three pieces at the kitchen table on Sunday afternoon while I wrapped gifts, and the kitchen smelled like every December I've lived.
The molasses I pulled out for the gingerbread — that dark, slow pour — is the same note running through this dessert, and that’s the honest reason I keep coming back to it in December. When Patrick finished his third piece of gingerbread and the kitchen still smelled like pepper and warm spice, I wanted something that could follow that feeling into the evening without requiring another long rest in the refrigerator. Grilled bananas and pineapple with a rum-molasses glaze come together in twenty minutes and carry exactly that same low, dark sweetness — the kind that tastes like the right season.
Grilled Bananas and Pineapple with Rum-Molasses Glaze
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 4 fresh pineapple rings (about 3/4 inch thick) or 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the dark rum, molasses, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Heat the grill or grill pan. Preheat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates or pan surface to prevent sticking.
- Grill the pineapple. Place the pineapple rings or chunks on the grill. Brush generously with the rum-molasses glaze. Grill for 3—4 minutes per side, brushing again when you flip, until caramelized grill marks appear and the fruit is heated through.
- Grill the bananas. Add the banana halves cut-side down to the grill. Brush the tops with glaze. Grill for 2—3 minutes until the cut side is golden and slightly softened. Flip carefully, brush with remaining glaze, and grill 1—2 minutes more.
- Rest and serve. Transfer the fruit to a serving platter. Drizzle any remaining glaze from the bowl over the top. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream alongside if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 48mg