FRUIT ON THE GRILL

The first time I had grilled peaches, I was in taste-bud heaven. A friend had made them by wrapping halved white peaches in heavy-duty foil, drizzling them with a tiny amount of melted butter and a sprinkle of sugar, then grilling them after the main course was cooked. We ate them over low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt.

Foil grilling is a take-off on the old French method of cooking en papillote (wrapping foods in grease-proof parchment paper). The slight warming enhances the fresh flavor of most late-summer fruits, such as peaches, plums, apricots and even berries. Wrapped securely in the foil, even delicate flavors hold up under the heat.

I experiment with different combinations of fruits when entertaining, sometimes creating a large packet for the entire table or individual packets for each guest. It`s a no-fuss method for preparing party desserts ahead of time. Assemble the packets up to two hours before cooking, then refrigerate them until grilling time. (If your packet is to stand more than an hour, avoid fruits that are very acidic, like orange, grapefruit, lemon or strawberries -- they will react with the foil.)

On the grill, the trick is to keep from overcooking the fruit, but even if you cook a perfect peach too long, it just becomes a delicious sauce to spoon over angel food cake or ice cream. Set your timer for 5 to 10 minutes and the fruit will be intact, warmed and delicious.

Following are my three favorites from several summers of experimenting.

PACKET-GRILLED WHITE AND YELLOW PEACHES WITH GINGER

2 ripe white peaches, pitted and sliced

2 ripe yellow peaches, pitted and sliced

2 tablespoons apple juice

1 tablespoon honey

4 cups frozen low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat grill.

Arrange peaches in center of large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Sprinkle with apple juice and honey. Seal packet tightly. Place on grill. Grill over low coals until fruit is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon frozen yogurt into 4 dessert goblets. Top with peaches and cooking liqueur. Garnish with ginger. Makes 4 servings.

GRILLED PLUMS AND PEARS

Pears and plums are a visual feast when cooked over the grill.

8 large plums, halved and pitted

2 large pears, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry white wine or white grape juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat grill.

Place plums and pears in center of large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Sprinkle fruit with sugar and wine. Seal packet tightly. Place on grill. Grill over low coals until fruit is warmed, 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon into 4 dessert bowls. Top with cooking liqueur, mint and orange peel. Makes 4 servings.

GRILLED BERRY SUNDAES

Berries on the grill cook fast and become soft enough to serve as a sauce over frozen vanilla yogurt.

2 pints fresh blackberries or boysenberries

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups frozen low-fat vanilla yogurt

Preheat grill.

Place berries in center of large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Sprinkle with sugar and vanilla. Seal packet tightly. Place on grill. Grill until fruit is warmed, 5 minutes.

Spoon yogurt into 4 dessert bowls. Top with berry mixture. Makes 4 servings.

(Mary Carroll is the author of the ``No Cholesterol (No Kidding!) Cookbook,`` Rodale Press.)

(c) 2000, Mary Carroll. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

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Author: Mary Carroll