This is a very simple dessert that anyone can muster. Bananas, pineapples, and stone fruit that is firm and not too ripe are best in this recipe. Grilled fruit also make a great salad (toss in some beautiful cherries or grapes). It's also wonderful at breakfast served with yogurt and granola. And it makes a fabulous chutney when combined with raisins, juice, and Indian spices. So, when you grill fruit, grill some extra to make these other dishes.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　1/3 cup packed brown sugar or maple syrup

　　Juice of 2 oranges

　　2 nectarines or peaches, halved and pitted

　　3 plums, halved and pitted

　　2 bananas, halved lengthwise

　　1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks

　　Lemon Zabaglione

　　Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Prepare a medium-hot fire (425° to 450°F) in a wood-fired grill.

　　

Step 2

Stir the sugar into the orange juice until dissolved. Brush the cut fruit with the sugar mixture.

　　

Step 3

Grill the fruit, cut side down, for about 5 minutes, or until the fruit is slightly soft and well marked. Move to indirect heat and continue to cook to the desired softness. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

　　

Step 4

Slice the fruit and keep each kind in a separate bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow flavors to mix.

　　

Step 5

Portion an assortment of the fruits into 6 bowls. Top with the zabaglione and garnish with mint leaves.

　　Reprinted with permission from Wood-Fired Cooking: Techniques and Recipes for the Grill, Backyard Oven, Fireplace, and Campfire by Mary Karlin, copyright © 2009. Photography copyright © 2009 by Ed Anderson. Published by Ten Speed Press.