Name: Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone
Yield: Makes 6 servings; can be doubled for 10 or 12 (no need to double the glaze)
Ingredients: 1 cup dark rum; 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter; 1/4 cup light brown sugar; 1 vanilla bean; 8 ounces mascarpone; 1 ripe pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Editor's Note: This recipe was originally part of a menu by Bobby Flay for a backyard barbecue. For the complete menu and Flay's tips on throwing a party, click here.

Ripe pineapple, with its plentiful natural sugars, is ideal for grilling, and it screams "tropical" like nothing else. This makes a great dessert after spicy Latin, Indian, or Caribbean food. Make sure to let the slices brown; you want lots of those caramelized, almost burnt edges. Mascarpone is a smooth Italian dairy product with a texture somewhere between whipped cream and cream cheese. It's used in tiramisù and available in many supermarkets and gourmet stores, but if you can't find it, good-quality vanilla ice cream will taste just fine.

Recipe notes

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