Posts Tagged ‘grilled desserts’
Grilled Desserts
One thing that I always try to do when preparing a meal is to consolidate my working space to as small a space as is comfortable. Doing so will increase your efficiency and reduce your clean up time which equals more free time to relax and enjoy yourself. With that being said, when I plan on preparing a dessert as part of my BBQ get-togethers, I always try to find a fun and creative way to incorporate my grill into the process. Just as you would when making a more traditional desert, there are countless combinations that you can play around with to entice your taste buds when using a grill. Here are some ideas to help get you started on making homemade desserts right on your BBQ.
Fruit is one of the simplest and easiest desserts to prepare on the grill. It may seem obvious to some but make sure you clean the grill before throwing your favorite fruit on. After all, nobody wants to taste hot dogs in their Grilled Bananas Foster. Virtually any fruit can be prepared on the grill however, harder fruits such as apples, pineapples, and pears tend to fair better as they have a little more leeway before overcooking. If you were planning on using a softer fruit like strawberries or mangos then I would recommend using a skewer just for the ease of cooking. Otherwise try to cut pineapples into uniform relatively thick slices, apples and pairs should be split down the middle with their seeds and cores removed, and other hard skinned fruits like bananas and oranges can be sliced and grilled skin facing away from the heat with the skin remaining on the fruit in order to keep them intact when removing them from your cooking surface. Since fruits are mostly made up of sugar and water your primary goal when grilling them is to create some nice grill lines and caramelize the fruits natural sugars. It is recommended that you should soak fruit in water for about 20 minutes before cooking, although I have always gotten away just fine with placing fruit straight on the grill so long as the grilling surface has been properly oiled. You can also be about as creative as you want with adding flavors or seasonings to fruit before grilling. A mixture of spiced rum, cinnamon, and brown sugar goes great with bananas, pineapples, and apples. And I usually suggest something like fresh mint and orange liqueur for citrus and other tangy fruits.
Grilled Desserts: Going Beyond S’mores
It’s the end of the meal, the coals are settling, and the fire’s dying down. It must be time for dessert! Sure, you could break out the marshmallows and graham crackers and chocolate bars—no one would mind—but why not expand your repertoire? Why not serve up something that’s a little unexpected? Something that’s simple but sophisticated? Something like one of these grilled fruit desserts that exploit fruit’s natural sweetness in a whole new way.
Grilled fruit recipes are cooked over mellow, medium heat, which means that just about the time you’re taking that last bite of burger or barbecued chicken, the grill’s ready to go.
