Grilled Fruit

There are not a lot of desserts that are easy to cook on the grill. One significant exception is grilled fruit. Not only is grilling fruit easy, it is a healthier dessert.

My latest “foodie” project has been to prepare the entire meal on the grill. I have been preparing the meat and sometimes vegetable dishes on the grill for many years, but had never tried fixing dessert on the grill. I found a number of recipes in my cookbooks and on the web, but most reminded me of S’mores on the campfire – I’m not a big fan of marshmallow. So as a strong believer in the KISS principle, grilled fruit has become my favorite after meal treat.

I haven’t tried every fruit, but so far I haven’t found any that aren’t suitable for the grill. Pineapple, apples, and pears are the easiest. They are firm fruits so it is hard to overcook them and they can be cooked with or without the skin or peel. Soft fruits like peaches, citrus, and plums are best grilled with their skins and require more care or else they become mushy. Typically a few minutes on each side is enough.

I follow a few simple guidelines when grilling fruit:

• Like with all grilling, a clean grate is essential. Not only will the fruit not stick to it as much, it will not pick up the very undesirable taste of the meat or whatever was grilled before.
• Coat the grill with a little vegetable oil or extra light olive oil to reduce sticking.
• Small fruits and berries can be grilled in aluminum foil or a vegetable pan or you can use skewers. They cook fast so keep a close watch or you’ll have mush – tasty but mush none the less.
• For most fruits use medium direct heat. You are looking to warm the fruit and caramelize the sugars on the surface of the fruit. Well defined grill marks are a good sign that the fruit is ready to serve. Cooking times vary greatly, from less than 10 minutes for peaches to ½ hour or more for a whole pineapple.
• Although not needed, fruit can be marinated to add flavor and sweetness. One marinade that I use is simply a cup of fruit type liqueur mixed with a cup of brown sugar and a ½ cup of honey. Place the fruit and marinade in a large plastic bag overnight. Be careful when placing fruit that has marinated in alcohol as it may cause an exciting flare-up.

You may want to add a sauce and I have found some easy ones that enhance the flavors:

• Puree 2 cups of fruit with ¼ cup of sugar in a blender and serve – yes it’s that simple. You may want to force seeded puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Another option is to boil the puree to reduce it and concentrate the flavor.
• Caramel sauce is another easy topping to make. In a 2 – 3 quart saucepan on medium heat, cook 1 cup of sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of corn syrup until the sugar has melted and turned a golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is completely melted stir in ½ cup of cream. Serve warm.

If you haven’t grilled fruit, try it. It is so simple and yet so delicious and your guests will think you’re a master of the grill.