The Culinary Art of Grilled...Dessert?

A recent award-winning recipe combines a favorite national summer pastime—grilling—with a delectable dessert that's sure to whet the appetite of anyone with a sweet tooth.

Unless you're an aspiring chef in culinary arts school, a grilled dessert might sound a little farfetched. But not to the folks at National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, who sponsored a contest asking listeners to send in their own recipes for desserts prepared on a grill. The three finalists were selected by pastry chef Susan Lindeborg and sent on to the team of judges: NPR food writer Bonny Wolf, award-winning chef and restaurant owner Kate Jansen, and NPR correspondent Daniel Zwerdling.

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The winning recipe—the one that got an "A" for presentation and won raves for its taste and texture—was a banana and Nutella napoleon from Cheryl Bryant of Winter Park, Florida. Combining grilled slices of toasted challah bread with layers of Nutella, grilled banana and whipped cream, this toothsome creation will be featured for a limited time at Jansen's restaurant, Willow, in Arlington, VA.

The other two finalist recipes were "Sweet Apple and Bacon Puffs with Pomegranate Glaze" and "Grilled Ice Cream With East Indian Spices."

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Sources:

• "Winning Grill Recipe Toasts Bananas, Nutella." National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday, July 5, 2009.