Tag Archives: grill

Grilled Nectarines with Blackberry Sauce

Grilled nectarines
Grilled nectarines

The great thing about summertime desserts are that many tend to be simple. Grilled fruit is one of my favorites whether it be slices of grilled pineapple drizzled with coconut milk and macadamia nuts or apples or stone fruit.

Here’s a recipe I tried out a couple weeks ago:

Grilled Nectarines with Blackberry Sauce

1 cup sugar, divided
1 pound fresh blackberries
4 nectarines, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Juice from 1 lemon, divided
Vanilla ice cream

In a medium saucepan, mix blackberries, half the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

Lightly oil the grill and heat to high. Brush nectarine slices with olive oil, drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar. Place on grill and cook until edges start to brown, about two or three minutes on each side.

Serve slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour sauce over it. Use leftover sauce for ice cream or waffles later.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post Post to Delicious Post to Delicious Post to Digg Digg This Post

Corn on the Cob Was Made to be Grilled

Corn on the grill
Corn on the grill

It seems everyone has an opinion on what way is best to grill corn on the cob. Some boil it then grill it to get a little carmelizing charred effect. Some leave husks on. Others take it off, wrap it in foil or put it straight on the grill.

I fall firmly into the leave-husks on category, but with a little variation.

Here’s why:

It’s like nature made the vegetable to be cooked.The husks and silk not only protect those lovely little kernels from the fire, they also seal in the moisture, allowing it to steam in it’s own juices.

Husk off-ers argue that this also shields the corn from picking up any of the great smoky flavors you can get from grilling.

And here’s where the variation comes in: When I prepare the corn for grilling, I peel off all but a couple layers of husk from the corn, which allows some of the smokiness to filter in, but mostly protects the corn. I also trim the silk off the top and try to leave as much handle as I can on the end.

Once the corn is on over a medium-hot grill, I turn it every couple minutes until a charred imprint of the kernels starts to form on the husks. The husks will be burned, but the corn kernels should be safe and golden brown.

I’m not saying it’s the right way or the only way. Basting a naked cob in butter or a glaze can help keep the corn moist while it’s cooking.

One other thing to keep in mind about grilling corn is trying to get the freshest corn you can.

Since it’s grilling weather, I’ll put in a couple more grill-related posts, and I’d love to hear any of your grilling tips and recipes.

Next up for tomorrow is a recipe for a grilled fruit dessert.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post Post to Delicious Post to Delicious Post to Digg Digg This Post

Fighting Back Winter Weather One Grill at a Time

Taken during the last snowfall in my backyard.
Taken during the last snowfall in my backyard.

Old Man Winter has officially become a guest who has overstayed his welcome. Don’t get me wrong, I had my fair share of fun sipping on tummy-warming drinks, sledding, snowman-building, sipping drinks while sledding and snowman-building and sipping drinks. But it’s almost April, come on!

So, last night, buoyed by a spot of sunlight, we decided to defy the near-freezing temperatures and fire up the grill for the first time since last fall. Grills were scrubbed; potatoes were on; peppers and onions tossed in olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and fresh rosemary; steaks were seasoned and ready.

Then poof, poof, poof. The burners went off one by one.

Touché Old Man Winter. Touché.

But I struck back by flipping on the oven broiler and by sheer force of will pretended that it’s more than just technically spring. I’ve resolved to move along the seasonal weather by sheer force of will. And I’ve decided that if we all just decide that it’ll get warmer, it really will. (It’s doable, I swear.)

Do I have a point? Not really. But this is probably a good time to add a reminder to get your grill ready for barbecue season. Oh, and get your gas tank filled up if you have a gas grill.

A couple sites online have tips for preparing the grill for spring: Grandmasbackyardbbq.com and ehow.com seemed to have some useful tips.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post Post to Delicious Post to Delicious Post to Digg Digg This Post