Grilled Desserts

For the past year and a half I have been living in a studio the size of a shoebox. Yes, I can walk to work and yes, I am so close to the beach that I smell the saltwater, but when it comes to the kitchen...I am not so fortunate. My kitchen was state-of-the-art years ago... fully equipped with a mini fridge and 2 electric burners. I moved in and brought along a bistro toaster and microwave (thanks mom and dad!), but alas, no oven. You don't really think about how often you use an oven until you realize that you can't bake ANYTHING without one. Last summer I started to get creative with my BBQ and now that summer has arrived, its time to start grilling again. Since I can't bake desserts, that leaves me with my grill....

My favorite grilled dessert from last summer was chocolate marshmallow stuffed bananas. You leave your banana in the peel, cut it open (like a hot dog bun) and stuff it with dark chocolate chips (you could use milk or white chocolate if you prefer it) and mini marshmallows. Next, you wrap it up in some aluminum foil and place them on your grill with the cover on and the gas off. Leave your foiled bananas there while you are eating and your grill will still be hot enough to melt the chocolate and marshmallows. Unwrap and eat out of the banana peel with a spoon. Sooo heavenly.

If you are in the mood for something a bit lighter, you can grill almost any other fruit and then pair it when ice cream, whipped cream, nutella, or marscapone cream. When selecting your fruit, it is always a solid choice to go with stone fruits (peaches, apricots, nectarines) and tropical fruits (mango, pineapple, kiwi) but of course, you can experiment with anything you want, like figs or plums.

Another thing to think about is seasoning....you season your steaks, right? You can use dry rubs and marinades on your fruit, the same way you use them on your meats and fish. Think about fresh herbs (tarragon, lavender, thyme), spices (cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, sea salt, pink peppercorn, cloves), liqueurs (Chambord, Kahlua, Grand Marnier) and olive or fruit nut oils to help enhance your fruit's flavor profile. You can add the seasoning just before you grill or marinate the day before you grill if you want to get really serious about infusing other flavors.

Ready to add another dimension to your grilled fruit dessert?  Make or buy some pound cake, slice it, and grill it alongside your fruit. You can go traditional or try a flavored pound cake like chocolate marbled, lemon, or red velvet. You will note that the butter in pound cake allows it to grill rather nicely...

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart / F&W
MB Pier Photo Via LAphoto by Joel Sprague