Grilled Fruit Salad

         August is here, and with barbecue season now in full swing, it's time to break out the fruit salad. Instead of that regular mid-summer classic, here I offer you a twist: grilled fruit salad! It's amazing how just a quick grill over an open flame will completely transform the flavours of any summer fruit. You don't need to add any herbs or spices to get a deep rich flavour. Because this fruit salad is meant to be served warm, it works best as an accompaniment to any BBQ'ed dish. It goes great with ribs and is awesome with grilled chicken.   

         Stone fruit, such as peaches, nectarine & mango all work really well on the grill, but feel free to experiment with other fruits. One word of advice: try to choose fruit that is still slightly under ripe because they will hold together best on the grill. Cut the fruit into large pieces that will be easy to grill and then quickly chop the fruit into smaller pieces just before serving. If you are making a big batch for a lot of people, it's easiest to grill the fruit well in advance, then let it cool before chopping it up. When it's time to serve, gently warm the fruit in a sauce pot on the stove.  

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time 8 minutes, makes about 5 servings 

Ingredients:

2 peaches

2 nectarines  

1 mango

1 bunch red grapes

1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Cut the peaches & nectarines in quarters and remove the stone. Peel the mango and then slice down each side of the stone along the wider side of the fruit to make two large slices. Toss the fruit in a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

2. Get the grill very hot and then grill the fruit on each side until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side.  

3. Remove the grapes from the stem and put them in a mixing bowl. Chop the warm fruit and toss in the mixing bowl with the grapes plus the juice from the remaining 1/2 lemon and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Serve warm as an accompaniment to ribs, grilled pork or chicken.