Barbecued caramelised apples and pears, something different at Christmas
Try our take on the traditional roasted vegetables at Christmas; we have included some caramelised apples and pears to add a little sweetness to the meal. If you like you can incorporate a little cinnamon into the brown sugar. Watch the video to see Richard and Ian showing just how easy it is to add a little something out of the ordinary to the dinner table. We are cooking the fruit and vegetables on the Weber Genesis II LX gas barbecue, but you can just as easily cook them over charcoal.
Roasted vegetables
- butternut squash
- celery
- red onions
- baby carrots
- parsnips
- olive oil
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Peel and cut the vegetables into chunks and place in the vegetable grill basket, coat in the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
Caramelised fruit
- dessert apples; cored and cut into slices
- pears; halved, core using a melon baller
- butter
- brown sugar
- pomegranate seeds
- cranberry sauce (optional)
- cinnamon (optional)
Pre-heat the BBQ to a temperature of about 200C (392F), which is roasting temperature, and set it up for direct and indirect cooking. We have lit the 2 left hand and the right hand burners, leaving one unlit. Place the basket of vegetables over the unlit burner. Move them around occasionally to ensure an even colour and check to see if they are cooked after about 30 minutes. When they are almost cooked start to griddle the caramelised fruit.
Place the griddle over a burner and allow to heat through, place on a knob of butter and if it goes brown quickly turn down the burner. Place the brown sugar in a tray, add the cinnamon if desired, coat the fruit in the sugar and put the pears on the buttered griddle, cut side down. Let the pears cook a little before adding the apple slices. Once the fruit has caramelised turn over and add the cranberry sauce to the pears, fill the hollow left when you removed the core. Continue cooking until the second side has caramelised and the fruit is soft but not mushy.
Arrange on a plate and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds. Serve with roast turkey and roast potatoes.
