Skewers of Seasonal Fruit with Orange Syrup 

A fresh way to serve fruit that's in season - on the barbecue. Choose any seasonal fruits that are firm enough to push onto skewers, such as stone fruit, apples, pears or figs.

Ingredients:

125 g fresh peaches, seeded and cut into large pieces

125 g fresh apricots, seeded and cut into large pieces

4 bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

60 g caster sugar

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup brandy

60 g brown sugar

12 whole cloves

3 cardamon pods, squeezed open

Directions:

Thread the pieces of fruit onto the skewers, taking care with fruit such as apples and pears, which brown quickly - prepare them at the last minute and sprinkle them with lemon juice to reduce the browning.

To make the syrup, combine the orange juice, brandy, brown sugar, cloves and cardamon pods in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool and strain to remove the cloves and cardamon pods. Check the sweetness - you may like to add a little more sugar to the syrup.

Place the skewers on the flat plate of your barbecue or grill, and sprinkle with some of the caster sugar. Turn the fruit very quickly, sprinkling with sugar as you go. Cook skewers for less than 30 seconds each side, maximum. The fruit should not be cooked, just warmed, and the sugar will caramelise but not burn. Lift the skewers and place on a platter.

Spoon a little of the orange syrup over the skewers and serve the rest in a jug at the table.

Variations:

With this dish, the variations are endless: halved figs sprinkled with a little sugar and flashed, cut-side-down, on the barbecue are a sensuous and sumptuous thing to eat.

Author:

Peter Howard

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