Now that you know how to grill vegetables, let’s look at another favorite of mine: grilled fruit. If you have tasted grilled fruit then you already know how delicious it can be by itself, served in a salad or entrée, or served with light vanilla ice cream.
What makes grilled fruit so delicious? Grilling caramelizes the natural sugar in fruit, which helps bring out wonderful flavors and intensifies the sweetness.
Which fruits work best on the grill? Some fruits hold up better to the grilling process than others due to their texture or simply their size.
A few of my favorites are:
Pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges, rings or cubesPeaches, cored and cut in halfMango, cored and cut in half, thick slices or cubesFirm bananas, slice in half lengthwiseHere are four beginner’s tips for grilling fruit:
Tip #1: For best results, grill fresh fruit over low to medium heat to allow the fruit to cook all of the way through before getting the desirable grill marks on the outside.
Tip #2: A little canola oil cooking spray on the outside of the fruit keeps the fruit from sticking to the grill and promotes the browning process that creates the desirable grill marks (and flavors).
Tip #3: Use fruits that hold up well to grilling and cut them into sizes that are easy to handle on a skewer (cubes) or by themselves (such as pineapple rings or peach halves)
Tip #4: Grill fruit until it is slightly softened and light grill marks have formed. This can take about 3 minutes per side depending on the fruit.
