Campfire Desserts

by Ginny Waters

People are surprised when I tell them that the first time I ever made eggplant Parmesan was over a campfire. This achievement may not be all that remarkable, but it does make the point that a campfire isn’t just for grilling steaks and barbecuing chicken. You can make pretty much anything over a campfire or a grill that you can make in a kitchen, and that includes desserts.

What Works

Everyone loves sticking a marshmallow on a stick to make s’mores, but you can be a lot more creative. While it may be difficult to bake a cake or make crème brulee, you’ll find that with just a bit of imagination, you can grill up a number of mouthwatering delights.

For the most part, anything you can put on a stick is a good bet, like chunks of pineapple and quartered bananas. Some fruit can go right on the grill (brush the rack with vegetable oil first) and top with melted butter, a little maple syrup, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Try it on apple rings or sliced pineapples.

A banana sliced down the middle and grilled for a few minutes on each side is perfect with a little melted butter and chocolate sprinkles on top. Alternately, peel a pear, cut it in half, and brush lightly with oil. Cover and grill, then top with the sauce of your choice—hot fudge or raspberries in syrup work especially well.

Another tasty treat is to put some thinly sliced peaches and strawberries in heavy aluminum foil, then sprinkle with a little lemon juice and brown sugar. Add some sliced nuts, a bit of granola or your favorite cereal. Cook the foil packet about eight minutes and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Gourmet S’mores

There’s nothing quite like sandwiching a toasted marshmallow between graham crackers and chocolate. But armed with some other ingredients, you can have a buffet of s’more delights by simply adding fresh raspberries, strawberries, peaches, or other fruit. Add your favorite gourmet chocolate candy or buy a combination of chocolate bars and freeze them. Slice, put on a graham cracker and let the hot golden marshmallow melt it all together.

And you don’t have to limit yourself to graham crackers, either. Thin chocolate wafers work great, as do sugar cookies.

Pounds of Good Eats

Pound cake (frozen or fresh) works well on the grill. You can slice it to make a pocket stuffed with marshmallows, jams, a little butter, and chocolate or butterscotch chips. Also, try cutting a slice of frozen pound cake, sprinkling it with rum, spreading a little bit of butter and sliced almond, then cooking it on a grilling screen. Top it with a mixture of sour cream or whipped cream and brown sugar.

When you’re cooking dessert over an open fire, wait until the fire has burned down so you cook over the orange glowing embers or coals. And it goes without saying that adults must supervise kids.

So get outside and grill!