GRILLIN' OUT WEEK: GRILLED PINEAPPLE AND BANANAS WITH LEMONADE GLAZE

It's Memorial Day week, which means it's time to formulate your grilling plan of attack. We saved this fruity recipe for Friday, sort of as the dessert to this week of grilling. We found it in a book called "25 Essential Techniques for Grilling" by Ardie A. Davis.

INGREDIENTS

8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 4 hours

4 unpeeled ripe bananas, ends trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch chunks

½cup turbinado sugar or 1/3cup cane syrup

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

DIRECTIONS

Make a lengthwise slice on the skin of each unpeeled banana chunk to allow easy peeling after the bananas are grilled. Thread the fruit onto the skewers, alternating chunks of banana and pineapple.

To make the glaze, put the sugar in a stainless steel saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it becomes liquid, about three minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon and add the lemon juice and zest. If using cane syrup, simply add the lemon juice with zest and stir without heating. Set aside.

Fill a charcoal chimney with hardwood lump charcoal, set the chimney on the bottom grill grate and light. When the coals are ready, dump them into the bottom of the grill and spread evenly. For a gas grill, turn to medium-high.

Brush the skewered fruits with the glaze. Place the skewers over direct heat. Grill for 3 minutes on each side, until the fruit is browned. Remove from the grill and brush again with the glaze. Serve immediately.