The Sweeter Side of Barbecuing

From pancakes and pizza to baked seafood, slow-cooked roasts and even lasagne, today’s barbecues can be used to cook just about any meal – not to mention the traditional chops and snags. But have you considered using your barbecue to whip up dessert?

Barbecues that feature a stainless steel hotplate, such as Heatlie’s Island Gourmet Elite, are ideal for cooking dessert, though be sure to clean the barbecue plate before cooking the sweet stuff so the flavours don’t mix!

Sautéed Fruit

In-season fruit is a great option for cooking on the barbecue, particularly fruits that hold together well, such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, banana and pineapple.   Fresh fruit sautéed lightly on the hotplate, served with ice-cream or marscapone, or drizzled with chocolate, is a super-tasty and easy-to-prepare barbecue dessert that has plenty of wow factor.

Fruit Skewers

Fruit skewers are a good option for kids – simply assemble your chosen fruit on the skewer, lightly sprinkle with sugar and gently cook until golden brown. However, when barbecuing fruit be sure to use sugar and sweet marinades with caution – though the high sugar content helps with caramelisation, if overdone it can cause the fruit to burn.

Barbecued Fruity Goodness

For a quick, delicious dessert that will impress your guests cook in-season stone fruit with the barbecue hood down until the fruit softens, then sprinkle with vanilla sugar and serve with mascarpone. Believe it or not, you can even cook a pudding in the roaster. My family loves a sticky date pudding cooked on the barbie – though you can prepare the dates and sauce on a regular cooktop, the pudding itself can be cooked on the hotplate with the roasting hood down.

Dessert Pizza

Dessert pizzas are another popular option that translates well to the barbecue, particularly if you have a barbie with a solid steel hotplate as it provides a great surface for cooking. Simply roll your dough (either homemade or from your local Italian deli) to fit your pizza tray then experiment with sweet flavours like strawberries drizzled with chocolate sauce, melon and marscapone or finely chopped apple sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon.

An All-Round Dessert BBQ

Finally, for a cheat’s barbecue dessert, simply warm up store-bought brioche, waffles, pancakes or doughnuts on the hotplate and served with whipped cream.

I hope these ideas will inspire you to incorporate dessert into your next barbecue. Why not try our recipe below created by Heatlie ambassador and ex-Masterchef finalist, Laura Cassai.

Andrea Mead

Owner, Heatlie Barbecues

Caramelized Spiced Pineapple with Vanilla Icecream

Makes 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple
• 1/3 cup spiced mead
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup demerara sugar
• Vanilla icecream

Method:

• Top and tail the pineapple then cut off the skin. Cut into quarters, de-core and cut the quarters in half again
• Place the pineapple in a bowl and pour over the spiced mead and leave to sit for 10 minutes so the pineapple soaks up the mead
• Roll the pineapple in the sugars and place on a skewer
• Place on a preheated flattop BBQ and cook for about 8 minutes, constantly turning, to ensure even caramelization.
• Serve with a scoop of vanilla icecream