What to grill?

And apples take to the heat especially well—those that are crisp, tart, and tough-skinned, like a Pink Lady or Granny Smith. They'll keep their body, show off grill marks, and make a great side dish or dessert for your next outdoor meal. Softer, sweeter apples, like Red Delicious or Empire, tend to relax too much when grilled, so go easy on those; they're better suited to snacking on raw.

You can slice cored apples in half, brush them with oil or a little melted butter, and put them right on the grill over medium or medium-high heat. Let them go for a few minutes—then treat them just like these avocado halves and fill 'em with whatever you'd like. I'm in the camp of ice cream and cinnamon sugar (like you see above), but you could easily do some vinegary slaw or oozy Brie.

Depending on how wide your grill grates are, you could go with wedges or rounds for a side dish to steak, chicken, or portobello burgers (you could also grill the halved apples and slice them after for easy handling). Or use a mandoline to shave apples thin, then cover your grill in foil and arrange them so that they'll still get a little color where the grates are. Serve them with chocolate mousse or pile them on thick-cut toasts with cheese and pesto for a quick dinner. And if you just want to warm them and add smokiness, tuck them into a little pocket of foil and place on the cooler side of the grill for a few minutes.

Not sure where to start?

• Brandy, dark brown sugar, cinnamon
• Red wine, honey, cloves, orange zest
• Maple syrup, bacon fat, rosemary, cayenne
• Lapsang souchong tea, ginger, nutmeg, pineapple juice
• Olive oil, ground fennel seeds, roasted garlic puree, lemon
• Chicken stock, fresh thyme, celery salt, black pepper

And if you want to sub in grilled apples for raw or cooked in other dishes, try swapping them in for what's called for in these recipes:

There’s An Apple for That is Washington-based Stemilt Growers searchable resource for all things apple, from cooking techniques to recipes. See all their apple varieties, like Granny Smith, Piñata, and Pink Lady, here.