Grilled Summer Fruit with Spicy Honey
Grilled Summer Fruit looks extremely simple but tastes like summer itself on a plate. Ripe peaches, pineapple and grapefruit go on the grill, caramelise, turn even sweeter and pick up a light smoky note. Then it is all finished with brown butter, a scoop of ice cream and a generous pour of spicy honey. The contrast is perfect: warm fruit, cold ice cream, nutty butter, sweet honey and a gentle piquancy in the finish. Ideal for a BBQ, a summer dinner, a picnic — or any moment when you want something sweet but not too heavy.
Preparation
- 1
Prepare the fruit. Halve the peaches and remove the stones. Slice the pineapple. Halve the grapefruits, leaving the skin on so they are easier to handle on the grill. The fruit should be ripe but not too soft, so it does not fall apart while cooking.
- 2
Heat the grill. Get the grill or griddle pan properly hot. Lay the fruit cut-side down and cook for a few minutes, until you get beautiful dark grill marks and the fruit is warm, fragrant and lightly caramelised.
- 3
Take your time. Do not move the fruit around too often — let it colour calmly, that is where the deep caramel flavour comes from. The peaches soften, the pineapple turns sweeter and juicier, and the grapefruit takes on an interesting warm acidity.
- 4
Add the brown butter. While the fruit is still warm, brush it with brown butter. It adds a nutty aroma, richness and a fuller flavour.
- 5
Serve with ice cream. Arrange the warm fruit on a plate and add a scoop of your favourite ice cream — vanilla, cream, coconut or caramel.
- 6
Final touch. Drizzle everything generously with spicy honey. It melts a little over the warm fruit and the ice cream, turning into a sweet-and-spicy sauce. Add a pinch of sea salt, mint or chopped nuts if you like.
Chef's tips
- —Choose ripe but firm fruit: anything too soft will fall apart on the grill.
- —Do not rush the grilling — the fruit needs a little time to caramelise properly.
- —Do not keep moving the fruit around: leaving it be gives you clean grill marks and a deeper flavour.
- —Brown butter is the wow factor: it makes the dessert deeper, nuttier and more restaurant-like.
- —Add the spicy honey at the end — it keeps its aroma and melts beautifully over the warm fruit.
- —Want more contrast? Add a pinch of sea salt. And grill extra fruit — everyone always wants seconds.
