Grilling caramelizes the sugar and honey in the sauce, making the fruit sweeter. This is obviously a dessert, but it can be served as a side dish to barbecued ribs, poultry, or fish. Other firm fruits will work, such as peaches or pineapple, but make sure that they are slightly under ripe. It is difficult to grill ripe fruit.

Ingredients

Rum and Habanero Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 2 tablespoons orange juice, fresh preferred

• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice, fresh preferred

• 1 teaspoon orange zest

• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground habanero chile

The Mangoes

• 2 mangoes, slightly underripe

• Vanilla ice cream

• Toasted shredded coconut

• Chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions

Prepare the sauce by combining the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove and cool

Peel the mangoes and remove the flesh by cutting away from the seed on the flat side of each fruit. You should have 2 large slices of fruit from each mango.

Brush the mango slices with some of the sauce and let stand for 5 minutes. Oil a clean grill, place the mango slices in a grill basket, and grill over a low fire until lightly browned and glazed, turning often, basting with the sauce. The grilling should take about 4 to 6 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle the coconut over 4 serving plates, place a mango slice and a scoop of ice cream over the coconut, drizzle remaining sauce over all, and top with the macadamia nuts.

Remember this rule: the firmer the banana, the better it grills. Ripe bananas turn to mush, fall through the grill and embarrass the cook. You can start this dessert while eating the entree, and it will be ready when you are. You can also use aluminum foil over the grill rather than the aluminum pan, if you wish.

Ingredients

The Bananas

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup dark rum

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons commercial fruit and habanero hot sauce

• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

• 2 teaspoons melted butter

• 4 small firm bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise

Nutmeg Whipped Cream

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon rum

• Grated nutmeg

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the sugar, rum, soy sauce, Pickapeppa Sauce, lime juice, and butter.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer in a disposable aluminum pan and drizzle the rum mixture over the top. Set the pan on the grill over a medium fire, cover, and cook for 10 minutes basting frequently with the sauce. Continue to grill until the bananas are glazed and tender, about another 5 to 10 minutes.

Prepare the cream by whipping the cream, sugar, and rum together in a cold bowl until stiff.

To serve, place the bananas on individual serving plates, drizzle a teaspoon of the remaining sauce over them, top with a dollop of whip cream, and garnish with the grated nutmeg.

No, you can’t use canned or frozen–it only works with fresh asparagus, so take advantage of those spring asparagus months. This is an excellent accompaniment to grilled seafood, and you can find some of that in chapter 8.

Ingredients

Spicy Lemon Mop

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh preferred

• 2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons chopped parsley or rosemary

• Freshly ground black pepper

The Asparagus

• 1 pound fresh asparagus

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the mop and mix well.

Cut off the tough stem ends of the asparagus, rinse and place in non-reactive, shallow bowl. Pour the mop over the asparagus and marinate, at room temperature, for an hour.

Grill the asparagus over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side or until done but still crisp.