Video:Tips for Grilling Fruit

Transcript:Tips for Grilling Fruit

Hi, I'm Krystyna Rittichier with About.com, and today I'll give you some tips for grilling fruit.

Grilled fruit makes a delicious appetizer, snack or side dish, and it is really easy to cook. You can grill any fruit. You only need to vary the technique.

Harder Fruits Are Easier to Grill

Hard fruits such as apples, pineapples and pears take longer to cook and are often easier to cook. Softer fruits such as peaches, plums, mangos, kiwis, bananas, cantalope, honeydew and watermelon cook very quickly, so you have to watch them carefully.

Prepping Larger and Smaller Fruit for the Grill

For larger fruits, you can cut them in half, remove the cores, pits and seeds, and place them directly on the grill. You can also cut them into smaller pieces and skewer them. Skewering fruits in smaller pieces is particularly helpful for softer fruits, because you can cook them faster without making them overly soft.

For smaller fruits such as strawberries and blueberries you can place them on a skewer, or in a bowl made from aluminum foil. While preparing your grill, make sure to clean the grill rack well. Place oil with minimal flavor such as vegetable oil on a paper towel and oil the grill rack.

Soak Fruit Beforehand

To prepare fruit to go on the grill, you can peel the fruit and soak it in icy water for 30 minutes so that the fruit stays juicy. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the water if the fruit you are using has a tendency to brown. You can also soak the fruit in a marinade. If you use a marinade, you can boil the marinade down to a syrup consistency and brush the fruit while it is cooking. The fruit is ready to come off the grill when it is hot through and not too soft.

Using a Marinade

One example of a fruit marinade is a butter rum marinade. For this recipe mix equal parts of butter, whipping cream, honey and rum, then add a dash of cinnamon. Cut pineapple, plums, and peaches down to bite size and marinate them for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Boil the marinade for about 10 minutes. When you place the fruits on the grill, use the marinade to baste the fruit while it is cooking, then use the leftover marinade to serve on the side.

Serving suggestions for grilled fruit include served on skewers with meat, served on salad, served with ice cream, or even served in a pie or fruit tart.

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