Wanted: puddings I can cook on a BBQ | Kitchen Aid

What desserts can I make on the BBQ? Sam, Hay-on-Wye, Powys

You're mostly looking at fruit here, Sam. But that doesn't necessarily mean chocolate-stuffed bananas, says Helen Graves, author of Live Fire - "Not that there's anything wrong with that." Stone fruits are also great barbecue friends because they take on that smoky flavor so well. To this end, Graves halves the peaches and pits them, then places them in a baking dish with "warming spices" (think cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla) and a splash of dessert wine. .

"They cook slowly and become delicious, soft and jammy. Eat them with cream or clotted cream. Or, says Kenny Tutt, chef-owner of Bayside Social and Pitch in Worthing and Patty Guy in Brighton, take inspiration from a classic peach melba Again, start by halving and pitting the peaches, then put them on a few layers of foil, season with a little sugar, a squeeze of lemon and some flaked almonds, wrap and roast for 15 to 20 minutes Serve with a raspberry coulis – mix some raspberries with a touch of lemon, a little icing sugar and caster sugar – and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. "Just keep it old fashioned".

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If you like a piña colada, Tutt recommends "getting yourself a ripe pineapple. Peel it, cut the fruit into four wedges, then cut out and discard the pit. Hit a glaze with maple syrup or honey, fresh lime zest and juice and, if the mood takes you, dark rum. "Get char lines on the pineapple by setting it over direct heat, then [off direct heat] cook for 15 to 30 minutes, glazing the fruit every five minutes, until tender. nice and sticky." Finish with a dollop of mascarpone or fresh cream whipped with toasted coconut, vanilla paste and sugar, and garnish with lime zest. "It tastes like the tropics."

There's plenty of fun to be found in a classic summer pudding, too, and luckily Rukmini Iyer has created an adapted version on the barbecue in his book Le Barbecue Vert: stack blackberries, raspberries and blueberries on aluminum foil with a vanilla pod and a little caster sugar, then fold into a ball. Iyer cooks it over medium heat for 10-15 minutes and serves it with toasted brioche (on the barbecue, of course) with a dollop of mascarpone and a little toasted almonds and fresh mint.

It is, after all, such finishes that can really set your barbecue game apart, and smoked cherries are another example. Graves takes a roasting pan, adds pitted and halved cherries, a sprig of rosemary, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt, stirs, then adds "a little water to keep the cherries from burn to the bottom". Toss an optional handful of wood chips over the coals and push the batch to one side. "Turn the roasting pan to the other side for a gentle heat, close the lid [if you have one] and let the cherries cook and soften for half an hour." Then, for a real grill thrill, layer them into a frozen sundae. Happy days.

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