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1 tablespoon olive oil

Oil for coating grill grate

3 tablespoons Orange Honey-Butter Glaze (optional; page 389)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed.

2. Cut a narrow pocket into the blossom (bottom) end of each fig. Stick your pinky finger into the pocket and use it to press indentations into both sides of the pocket, creating a small cavity in the center of each fig.

3. Purée the feta, honey, oregano, and olive oil in a small food processor. The mixture will be thick. Alternatively, mash the cheese vigorously with a fork, then mix in the remaining ingredients.

4. Using a small spoon and your fingertips, stuff about 1 teaspoon of the feta mixture into each fig cavity. Or pipe the mixture from a pastry bag into the fig cavities. Gently squeeze the blossom ends together to enclose the filling.

5. Skewer 3 figs crosswise on each skewer (the stem end should be perpendicular to the skewer).

6. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the fig skewers on the grill and cook until nicely grill-marked, turning once or twice, 5 to 8 minutes total.

7. Brush with the honey-butter glaze, if using.

Photo: Grilled Feta-Stuffed Figs

Barbecued Balsamic Pears

Here’s a pyromaniac’s version of poached pears. The whole, peeled fruit is cooked via indirect heat on the grill and frequently basted with sugar syrup to soften and sweeten the flesh. Drizzled with a buttered balsamic reduction sauce, the pears make a delightful fall dessert.

TIMING

Prep: 15 minutes

Grill: 30 to 40 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Small disposable aluminum foil pan

• Long-handled tongs

• Long-handled basting brush

• Long-handled spatula

TIP

• For a kiss of smoke in the pears, soak 1 cup apple or cherry wood chips or chunks in water for 30 minutes. (Hickory would be too harsh here.) Toss the chips on the coals and, when you see smoke, add the pan of pears to the grill. If using gas, put the chips in a smoker box or in a perforated foil packet directly over one of the heated burners.

GETTING CREATIVE

• To make Maple Grill-Roasted Pears, replace the water and sugar with 1 cup pure maple syrup (pancake syrup will be too thick). Mix the maple syrup with the vanilla extract and brush onto the pears as directed. Omit the balsamic vinegar sauce. Serve with any remaining maple syrup and vanilla ice cream.

PEAR VARIETIES

Pears are so soft that most varieties never make it to market. But a few common types are firm enough to be grilled. These include Bosc, Forelle, and Winter Nelis. Boscs have a golden or light brown skin with firm yet tender white flesh. Forelles are red-skinned and speckled with firm, grainy flesh. Winter Nelis pears are smaller and rounded, with green or red skin, but their firm flesh still makes them suitable for the grill. We call for Bosc pears here because they are widely available, but beautiful red Forelles are even better, especially for Grilled Pears Drizzled with Melted Stilton (below).

* * *

THE GRILL

Gas:

Indirect heat, medium (350°F)

3- or 4-burner grill-middle burner(s) off

2-burner grill–1 side off

Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Indirect heat, medium ash

Split charcoal bed (about 2 dozen coals per side)

20 replacement coals

Clean, oiled grate on medium setting

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 SERVINGS)

1 cup water plus hot water for the foil pan

½ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

4 just-ripe Bosc pears

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ cup best-quality balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon butter

Pinch of grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed.

2. Put the 1 cup water and the ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool.

3. Peel the pears, but leave the stems intact. Cut a small slice from the bottom of each pear to make them stand upright. Cut out the core from the bottom of each pear, using a small, thin knife or the small side of a melon baller. Immediately brush the pears all over with the lemon juice, including