Around our house nothing says summer like a backyard barbeque, but when the weather is warm I tend to want something on the lighter side for dinner. Chicken and steaks are awesome, but have you tried grilled fruit?
I’m especially fond of peaches – grilling them brings out their natural sweetness and makes them oh, so tasty! Just cut them in half (removing the pits), brush the cut side with honey and a little sprinkle of cinnamon to add extra layers of mouthwatering goodness, and grill face down. It’s really easy and only takes about 5 minutes. If you like, serve them with a dollop of greek yogurt on top, or a scoop of ice cream and have them for dessert.
Other favorites are pineapple and watermelon. All you really need to do is cut and grill them for about 3 minutes per side – just long enough to warm them slightly and get a little grill mark, but I like to dress them up a bit.
For pineapple, I remove the core and slice it into 1″ rounds. Then I mix a little cardamom into some honey and brush it lightly on both sides, then sprinkle with salt before grilling. It’s insanely delicious, and versatile, too! Grilled pineapple goes wonderfully with salmon, chicken, and pork.
When grilling watermelon, I just cut it into about 1″ slabs and sprinkle a little sea salt on both sides before grilling it, and then add a little chopped mint & feta afterwards. It’s super yummy, and a great replacement for that side salad with your steak.
But what does this have to do with wine? I’m glad you asked! There are certainly a lot of wines that go well with fruit, but once they’re grilled, you’ve opened up even more possibilities. You can serve them with a nice, Oaked Chardonnay instead of unoaked, for example, or a lovely Viognier in place of dry Riesling. Give it a try, and let us know what you think!
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