Searing fresh seasonal fruit on a griddle or BBQ brings out its sweetness and flavour. Plums, nectarines, apricots and pineapple all work beautifully on the grill, as do some less obvious candidates such as strawberries, mango and watermelon.
Serves: 6-8
Keeps: 3 days in the fridge
Per serving: 96 cals, 21 g carbs
4 white or yellow nectarines 6 pink or yellow apricots
6 plums
1 large punnet strawberries
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp caster sugar or erythritol
squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice
sprigs of fresh mint or lemon verbena
Heat a ridged cast iron grill pan or barbecue grill for 10 minutes until extremely hot. Meanwhile, halve and pit the stone fruit and hull the strawberries.
Using a silicone brush (or a wad of paper towel held in kitchen tongs and dipped in the oil) lightly oil the surface of the pan or grill. Add the strawberries, cook for 2 minutes, then transfer to a dish.
Add as much stone fruit, cut side up, to the hot grill as will fit in a single layer. Cook the fruit for 3 minutes without moving it around the pan so it takes on
grill marks, then carefully turn each piece over with a spatula or tongs and cook the second side. If the fruit sticks to the pan, add a little more oil. Transfer to a warm platter then cook the rest in the same way, brushing the grill with oil again if necessary.
To make the sauce, purée half of the grilled strawberries with the lemon juice and sugar in a food processor or blender then transfer to a small bowl. Add the remaining strawberries to the platter and decorate with the sprigs of mint or lemon verbena. Serve warm or at room temperature.
STRAWBERRIES are a delicious way to boost your iodine levels, important for your thyroid and metabolism, and, during pregnancy for the baby’s brain health. Like all berries, strawberries help regulate your blood sugar and can reduce the risk of diabetes. If you do suffer from diabetes, eating berries is a healthy way to satisfy a craving for something sweet.
