Grilled Fruit

In honor of today being the last day of August, I'm sharing a very summery recipe for grilled fruit.  Grilling fruit seems to be a fad right now, and for good reason.  When fruit is heated, its natural sugars create a juicy and sweet effect.  Paired with the smokiness of a good sear, nature's favorite dessert now has a fresh face.  Below is my favorite recipe for grilled fruit.  It will vary depending on the type of grill you have and how hot you can get said grill, but it's also rather foolproof in that if your fruit isn't looking done, you'll just leave it be a few minutes longer.  And yes, this recipe was both featured at the Nourished! dinner party and will be taking center stage in the side dishes chapter of the upcoming Nourished! cookbook.

Grilled Fruit (serves 12 as a side dish):

6 organic peaches, halved
1 lb large organic strawberries, hulled and kept whole
½ lb figs, stemmed and halved
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T honey
½ t large flake sea salt or kosher salt
½ t cracked black pepper
2 T chopped, fresh rosemary, plus 1-2 sprigs for garnish

Slice fruit and toss all ingredients in a large bowl.  Place fruit piece by piece on a hot grill (as hot as it will go) and flip after 1-2 minutes, once grill marks appear.  Figs and strawberries will be ready for a flip before peaches.  Remove from grill and keep warm.  In a small saucepan, reduce the fruit marinade and juices over low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Drizzle over fruit and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.       

What is your favorite healthy summer side dish?  Share in the comments below!

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