Grilled Bananas Foster with Vanilla Ice Cream & Melted Chocolate

It's summertime, and I love to grill out.  I've noticed more and more grilled desserts popping up on the web and on cooking shows, so I thought I would test one out myself.  This recipe was the poll winner, really, how can you go wrong with bananas, chocolate, and ice cream?  Yum!

Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips or disks
2 medium ripe bananas
vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Preheat a grill over medium heat.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Simmer until mixture thickens about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and set aside.

Cut each banana lengthwise, leaving the skin on Carefully cut a slit down the cent of each banana half, making sure not to cut all the way through the skin.  This is so you can have somewhere to insert the chocolate disks later.

Brush banana halves with butter and brown sugar sauce. Spray the grill with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the bananas, cut side down, on the pan. Grill until caramelized, about 4 minutes. Turn the bananas and grill until the skins are blackened bananas are soft and warmed through, about 5 minutes more. Baste frequently with the sauce during the cooking process. Place chocolate chips or disks along the tops of the bananas for the final two minutes of grilling so that they melt.

Remove from grill to a serving platter and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, drizzled with remaining sauce.


 

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Filet Mingon

I know that people shy away from buying filet mignon because it can be pricey, but I found a special at our grocery store for 2 filets for $7.00, so always check as you walk by the meat section because you might just find a great deal like I did!  Splurge and make this excellent meal for yourself and someone special one night!

Ingredients

salt and cracked pepper
2 (6 oz.) beef tenderloin fillets, 1 1/2 -2 inches thick
2 slices bacon
2 tablespoons steak sauce (recommended: Lea and Perrins Steak Sauce)
2 teaspoons water

1 cup broccoli (or other vegetable)

1 cup sliced mushrooms (or other vegetable)

6 inch French bread piece, sliced in half, longways 

non-stick, fat-free cooking spray for grilling

Let the steaks sit out and come to room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.  Season with salt and pepper. Wrap a strip of bacon around the outside edge of each steak, securing it with a toothpick or kitchen twine. 

Grill the steaks over high heat for about 10 minutes per side (7 minutes per side for rare). Baste with a mixture of steak sauce and water while grilling. For perfect steaks, turn them only once. Let them rest for ~7 minutes before serving so the juices redistribute.  The meat will actually continue to cook a bit more as you let it rest off the heat, so don't over cook the filets.

Grill vegetables and bread for ~8 minutes per side, as well.  I coated them lightly with cooking spray and lightly basted then with the steak sauce & water (1:1) mix.

 

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