Grilled fruit recipes
Have you thought about dessert to go with your Bbq? Try grilled fruits, they are deeelicious!
Grilling your fruits is a great way to highlight their natural sugars.
Your burgers (or breakfast) can be accompanied with a refined touch of caramelized flavors.
This will be a new discovery for your taste buds as the texture, taste and temperature of your fruits will be different ...
For better results, you should choose fresh, firm and ripe fruit.
Also note that some fruits are better suited to cooking than others. Peaches, plums and apricots are good choices as well as sliced apples, pears, oranges or even strawberries.
You can also try bananas and mangos but you have to keep them in their skins.
PRE-PREPARATION* : It is also suggested to soak the fruit in cold water with lemon for half an hour before grilling. Use this juice later to brush your fruit during cooking. Keep them in their skin/peel.
Even if you add little extras to your fruits they will still be a better choice than store bought desserts.
Here are 10 good mixes :
1) Party Time : Pineapple/Tequila.
PRE-PREPARE* the pineapple slices. Baste the slices of pineapple with premixed 1/4 of a cup tequila, 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Grilling : 10 minutes.
2) The traditional : Apples/Cinammon
PRE-PREPARE* the apples. Grilling takes 5 to 10 minutes depending on if you use slices or halves or whole apples. Once grilled baste with a mixture of brown sugar and cinammon.
3) Simply delicious : Bananas/caramel/coconut.
Use skewers for this one. Once grilled baste bananas with caramel and sprinkle with coconut powder. Grilling : 2 minutes.
4) Carribean grill : Peaches/Rum
Same concept as the party time but with peaches and rum instead.
5) The mediterranean : figs/Honey/Ricotta
Cut the figs in halves and grill them. On the side mix 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a tablespoon of honey. Place this mixture on the grilled figs. Add a little fresh mint leaf on each half and serve. Emmmm EM ! Grilling : 3-4 minutes.
6) Valentine mix : Strawberries/chocolate
Use skewers for this one and of course cut off the strawberry leaves. Coat the strawberries with balsamic vinegar then roll them into granulated brown sugar. Once grilled cover them with some melted chocolate. Grilling 1-2 minutes.
7) Camping delight : Pears/marshmallow/cinammon
Cut pears into halves and scoop out their cores. Grill them until they are soft. On the side also grill the marshmallows using
skewers. Then place one slightly melted marshmallow into the core of the grilled pear. Sprinkle with a little cinammon.
8) Tropical touch : nectarines/vanilla
Premix 1/3 of a cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1/4 of teaspoon of vanilla extract. Grill the nectarine halves and then serve warm with a drizzle of the vanilla mixture. Grilling : about 4 minutes.
9) Mix and match with a little ‘pistach’ : Mixed fruits/honey and Pistachios
Very simple, grill different fruits of your choice. Then once grilled, cut into halves, place them in a bowl and drizzle some honey and sprinkle with ground pistachios.
10) The sweet one : strawberries/kiwi/honey/maple syrup
Same as previously but instead drizzle with a mixture of honey and maple syrup.
Nutritionist’s comments :
> Don’t overcook or burn your fruits.
> Try adding grilled fruits to your salads
> Try them with greek yogurt and cereals for breakfast
> These recipes should still be considered desserts and not a daily snack because of their content in sugar (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, chocolate, marshmallows, alcohol etc.)
> Remember : compared to any other store bought dessert like cakes or ice cream cones these are still healthier alternatives.
Bon Appétit !
Sofia Abdelkafi R.D Nutritionist
