How to Grill Fruit
Many people associate the grill with slow cooking meats and vegetables. However, you can also use the grill to cook fresh fruit. The sky is the limit on the type of fruit which can be used. When the fruit hits the grill, the sugars begin to breakdown and become caramelized. This enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit. Softer fruits such as mango, peaches and nectarines will have shorter cooking times than firmer fruits such as apples, pears and pineapples. If grilling different types of fruit, cook the firmer fruits first before adding the softer fruits to the grill. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Skewers
- Fruit peelers or peeling knives
- Melted butter, cooking oil or non-stick spray
Instructions
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1
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 to 60 minutes. The bamboo skewers will be used to pierce the fruit and place it on the grill. The soaking process keeps the wood from burning while the fruit is being grilled.
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2
Peel, de-seed and prepare your fruit. Depending on what type of fruit you are grilling, you will need to prepare the fruit differently. For example, apples and pears can be simply washed and slice into bite sized pieces. Pineapples must be peeled and then chunked. Peaches and nectarines must be washed, sliced and have their pits removed. Prepare the fruit so that it can be placed on a skewer.
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3
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
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4
Place your fruit onto the skewers. You may choose to place different types of fruit on each skewer or make skewers that contain the same type of fruit.
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5
Coat the fruit with butter, oil or non-cooking spray. Fruit may stick to the surface of the grill, if it is not coated before the grilling process is begun. Based on preference, melt butter and brush it onto the fruit pieces or brush the fruit with cooking oil or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
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Grill your fruit. Place the skewers onto the grill. Rotate them every one to two minutes until the flesh of the fruit starts takes on a golden brown hue.
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7
Remove the fruit before it begins to blacken yet still has been roasted and allowed to caramelize.
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Tips & Warnings
There are different thoughts on how fruit should be grilled. Some people prefer placing the fruit over the hotter section of the grill to get bar marks on the fruit, while others prefer placing the fruit on the upper rack or away from the heat source using indirect heat for cooking. However, keep in mind that softer fruits will cook quite quickly, therefore placing them over indirect heat will reduce the chance that you overcook the fruit.
If you do not want to use skewers, use a grill pan to place the fruit in. This will protect the flesh from the hot grate and at the same time heat the fruit.
Sprinkle a little brown sugar onto the flesh of the fruit. As the fruit cooks it will melt, enhancing the flavor of the grilled fruit.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
