In previous posts, we’ve covered s’mores and other treats you can make over an open fire. Your outdoor fire place or fire pit isn’t the only part of your outdoor kitchen capable of making delicious treats!
Here’s a beginner’s guide to preparing desserts in your outdoor kitchen:
Desserts on the grill
Let’s start with the simplest option: grilling whole or sliced fruit, which can bring out a number of complex caramel flavors. Serve grilled fruit warm with a side of vanilla ice cream for an irresistible treat. Here are some easy recipes to get started on:
- Simple grilled pears
- Grilled peaches with honey balsamic glaze
- Fruit skewers with spicy maple and cumin
- Grilled pineapple with tequila
- Grilled Bananas Foster
Fruit pies and crumbles are also relatively easy to make on the grill. You’ll need to keep the cover down during cooking time to keep the temperature right, and you’ll need to make sure you have a pie dish that can handle the heat of the grill grates (many glass pans may not be able to take it, so proceed with caution).
Here are a few of the many recipes out there:
- This easy grilled strawberry pie is perfect for summer. It uses two foil pie pans: one to hold the pie, and a second one to elevate it from the grates. (Just don’t let it tip over!)
- This grilled apple pie is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. This recipe uses a cookie sheet—just be sure it’s a sturdy one and is placed on indirect heat.
- Choose your favorite fruit—peaches and berries work particularly well—and whip up a fruit crisp on the grill in a cast iron skillet.
- If you don’t have cast iron, you can make this grilled apple crisp sealed up inside an aluminum foil packet.
You can also toss pre-made desserts on the grill for a short time to enhance their flavor. It’s the best of both worlds: zero prep time plus getting credit as a grilling genius. You can try:
- Grilled pound cake
- Grilled doughnuts
- Grilled shortcake (cut into cubes and skewer alongside strawberries or peaches for a sweet kebab)
Pizza oven desserts
If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard pizza oven, once the pizza comes out you can pop in a sweet treat, such as:
- Chocolate and ricotta calzone
- Strawberry and Nutella pizza
- Hazelnut s’mores pizza
- Light and sweet lemon pizza
Desserts in your smoker
Believe it or not, you can also prepare deserts in your barbecue smoker for a rich flavor.
- This decadent smoked chocolate bread pudding recipe combines brioche, custard, and chocolate with the complex flavor of hickory smoke.
- Want a real culinary treat (and a pro challenge)? Try making smoked ice cream. (Essentially you smoke sweet cream and mix it in with homemade ice cream for an unforgettable flavor.)
We hope these ideas have gotten your mind working and your mouth watering. If you’ve got desserts on the brain but don’t think your current grill, pizza oven, or smoker is up to the job, take a look at the line of quality cooking tools that Unlimited Outdoor Kitchen has to offer:
