This recipe was inspired last spring when I had the opportunity to work with Panorama chef Ivy Magruder on a multi-course meal themed around the French mother sauces. Riffing on that idea, we created a dish based on one of my mother’s special desserts: lemon pound cake. Now my mom’s version was not a fancy recipe – it required boxed mixes and a lot of eggs and oil. But Magruder elevated her classic dessert, grilling the pound cake and topping it with macerated fruit. The dish was a huge success.
Grilling pound cake adds texture, slight caramelization and beautiful, slightly charred spots. Summer is the perfect time to try variations on this dessert, and I wanted to play with apricots, as I’m most familiar with the dried version served on cheese plates. Fresh apricots, like figs, are delicate creatures, slightly tart and almost creamy when ripe. They hold up well on the grill, as do peaches, plums or nectarines. I also gilded this grilled lily with almond whipped cream, but feel free to swap for vanilla or mix in a spoonful of lemon curd to play up the fruit’s tart notes.
Grilled Pound Cake and Apricots
Inspired by a recipe from Panorama’s Ivy Magruder
8 servings
1 pound cake, cut into 8 slices
4 ripe apricots, halved and pitted
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. pure almond extract
• Prepare a charcoal grill for high, direct heat and create a two-zone fire by moving the coals to one side. Alternately, preheat a gas grill for high, direct heat.
• Place the pound cake over direct heat and sear just until grill marks appear, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and grill the other side, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
• Place the apricots cut-side down over direct heat and sear until grill marks appear, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and place skin-side down over indirect heat or move to the upper tier of a gas grill. Cover and cook 1 minute, until the fruit is soft but not falling apart. Remove and set aside.
• In a chilled bowl, use a hand mixer on high speed to whip the cream until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and almond extract and whip 30 seconds to 1 minute until the cream has stiffened to your desired consistency.
• To serve, place a piece of grilled pound cake on each plate. Top each with an apricot half and a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
This article appears in August 2016.