What does SUMMER mean to you?
Since I grew up in New York, and have 4 seasons – summer is particularly nostalgic. Thunderstorms and hot, humid weather was always a sign that school was finishing up and it would soon be summer. Summer, when my parents would grill all sorts of delicious things and we would get to use the dying coals to roast marshmallows, and if you were a mischievous little one like me, you’d surreptitiously poke all sorts of things into the coals to watch them go up in flames. I loved poking sticks, leaves, and cardboard into the grill and watching the embers redden.
These days, instead of gooey marshmallows, I’ve been roasting fruit over the coals once my meal is done. Large chunks of fruit are perfect because they soften and char as you eat your meat and vegetables. Yesterday, I grilled petite steaks with some portabella mushrooms… and while my family and I feasted on the juicy steak and plump mushrooms, we let these nectarines caramelize and char a little bit.
I like to slice the fruit in half (big chunks = longer cooking time, and more time to enjoy the steak), and brush with a little avocado oil to prevent sticking. A healthy sprinkle of salt helps enhance the natural sweetness. I let my fruit blister and get soft before digging in – about 15 minutes on a medium flame.
(Oh yes… this is another “not recipe” recipe)
What does summer mean for you? Do you grill fruit too?
Kaprise! 
We DO grill fruit! All kinds, from bananas to pineapple! Our favorite method is to sprinkle the fruit with Miners Mix Wholly Chipotle Rub. There’s something magical about fruit and chipotle!! Sometimes we briefly marinate the fruit in a sweet white wine before adding the rub. Yeah, buddy!
OoOoo! Bananas?! I’ve never tried that before! I’ll have to! Thanks for the comment! Looking forward to reading more from your blog as well! <3h
Several ways to do it. You can slice and marinate in sweet white wine, and then grill in a grill basket, or just toss slices on the grill (maybe with a little Mainers Mix Wholly Chipotle Rub), or use a whole banana, slice through the skin into the fruit, separate slightly and drizzle with honey or maple syrup, and sprinkle said rub on. Put it on the grill, peel side down. Yum!
Amazing! This is next on my list when I get my hands on some bananas! Thanks for the detailed help! 🙂
Grilling fruit certainly does enhance its flavors. I grew up on a ranch in Texas and each 4th of July an old fashioned churn ice cream machine would be brought out and either peach or strawberry ice cream would be made. Whenever I eat either flavor, it reminds me of summer.