Reader’s Responses

Reader Mr. T responded to my grilled fruit post with a great idea:

Your suggestion for cantaloupe with feta reminded me about another fantastic Greek-like combo. Marinate chunks of cantaloupe in equal parts Ouzo and sugar. It’s a great appetizer on warm summer evenings.

Sounds simple and delicious to me.

[Update] City Lights reader, Lorene makes a restaurant recommendation:

Drive to the tiny community of Dell, near the Monida Pass on I-90, and you will find the “Calf-A,” a former little red school house complete with a bell tower. The menu is posted in chalk on the original blackboard, and you will be seated at a long communal table with complete strangers. The fare is hearty down-home American favorites, and the conversation with your tablemates can be very interesting.

Sounds good. If anyone makes it there before me I hope you send in a review.

Posted in Appetizers, Fruit, Outback Joints, Restaurants | 2 Comments »

You Grilled What?

Grilled fruit is becoming so prevalent that it’s almost “too cool” to write about. That said, it’s so tasty that it would be a disservice not to mention it. I’ve grilled all sorts of fruit over the years and I usually go with what’s on sale. The trick is to not over cook the fruit so that it maintains its firmness on the inside of the finished product. What I do is get the grill as hot as possible and place the fruit skin side down just until good grill marks develop. At that point I turn it over on to the flesh but let it cook just a little longer. You’ll have to experiment a bit. Nectarines take about one minute on the skin side and two on the flesh. Apples take a little longer and pears take less time. I like to pair grilled fruit with something that is rather unexpected to the pallet – like blue cheese with nectarines and peaches. But a good match for grilled cantaloupe is a salty feta. Cheddar cheese goes great with grilled apples (both Fuji and Braeburn apples grill very nicely.) I use the cheese just as a backnote – serving just a few crumbs of whatever I’m using. For me, what I’m looking for is the taste of the fruit primarily, and the cheese simply adds a complexity to the taste.I also like to add just a little sweetener to grilled fruit. The easiest is honey, but I’ve used real maple syrup or a quick light caramel of brown sugar and cream. If you’re daring, try reducing one cup by half of Gewerstraminer wine (an exceptionally sweet dessert wine) combined with two tablespoons of sugar and serve it over grilled pears. Really, the sky’s the limit and, short of things with really soft flesh like grapes and plums, I wouldn’t hesitate to put most fruits to the fire (I’ve even grilled watermelon and served it with honey and Brie.)

Most of the time I serve grilled fruit as a side dish. That always depends on what the main course is. There is no reason, however, that you can’t serve it as a dessert and serving a grilled peach drizzled with honey next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a show stopper at our house. There have also been times when, due to the irresistibility of the dish, I’ve served these as appetizers. Sometimes one just has to follow one’s gut (pun intended.)

Mama always told me to eat my fruit. She also told me not to play with my food. I accept the former and reject the latter – and so should you.

Posted in Appetizers, Dessert, Fruit, Recipes | 3 Comments »