It’s officially July, and therefore cookout season. In case you haven’t decided whether to bring dessert or something for the grill to this weekend’s festivities, let me recommend a simple and tasty way to do both: grilled fruit. Even the simplest preparations are impressively delicious. Peeled bananas or pitted peach halves (maybe with a pat of butter) turned once or twice will be ready when they’ve got visible grill marks. That should take approximately ten minutes on a medium hot grill. The grill marks let you know the outer part of the fruit has caramelized into sweet, syrupy goo. Served immediately, with or without a scoop of organic ice cream, that’s a fantastic dessert.
For slightly fancier (but still quite simple to prepare) versions of grilled fruit, , think in terms of presentation and marinades. Consider grilling organic pineapple—cut in half lengthwise through still-attached leaves, and then cut in half again to create four wedges. Place each wedge cut-side down on the grill for just a couple of minutes, and then rotate the other cut side down for a few minutes. Put each wedge on a sturdy plate (paper won’t stand a chance) and definitely serve with a scoop of organic ice cream. Fruit skewers are another fun variation—firmer fruits like apple, cantaloupe, honeydew or pineapple are more likely to stay on the skewer, but mangoes and bananas are delicious if you’re careful or put some foil underneath.
Marinade combinations abound. Use a saucepan to dissolve brown sugar in limejuice for tangy skewers, for peaches—dissolve the brown sugar in a combination of butter and dark rum, for pineapple dissolve honey in sweet brandy. Pre-coat your fruit chunks for skewering and refrigerate until it’s time to grill. If the marinades and ice cream are too sweet for you, try brushing your fruit with a light oil mixed with spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom or cayenne before you grill, or maybe sprinkling goat cheese or another soft crumbly cheese over stone fruit or pears just after grilling. If you prefer delicate slices of fruit to big pieces, make a bowl out of two or three layers of foil, and then even your organic berries are fair game for the grill. It might take a little bit longer for your foil-bowl of fruit to get hot on the grill, but especially worth the wait when served over ice cream. Sarah Aubry
