BBQ recipe - butterscotch fondue with chunky fruit kebabs

Makes: 8 kebabs Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Eating 'alfresco' is a relaxed, sociable affair with a midday kick-off stretching through to the warm balmy evening. No need to worry about coals and cooling off and an abandoned dessert with a Calor Gas barbecue. Simply adjust the heat at the turn of a knob and grill these luscious fruit kebabs. Then just sit back & dip 'fondue style' into a buttery caramel sauce!

Ingredients

For the sauce:

125g (4oz) unsalted butter
125g (4oz) castor sugar
175g (6oz) soft dark brown sugar
250g (9oz) golden syrup
600ml (1 pint) double cream

For the kebab:

8 ripe, firm apricots or plums, half & stoned
1 pineapple
8 kumquats or physallis fruit (optional)
2 large firm bananas
2 small dessert pears
2 figs, halved
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1-2 tablespoons of runny honey
8 wooden skewers soaked in water for 1hr to prevent charring

Method

Make the sauce ahead of time:

Gently heat the butter, sugars and golden syrup together until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring well and leave it to bubble steadily for 3 Â– 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Return to a gentle heat to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Sieve into a small flameproof casserole dish or fondue dish and leave to cool. Cover and refrigerate until required. (This can be made up to a week in advance).
Prepare the fruit for the kebabs: cut away the rind on the pineapple. Halve and remove the core if woody then cut the pineapple into wedges. Arrange on a large platter with the apricots or plums and the whole kumquats or peeled physallis and figs.
Cover and leave until required. Just before you are ready to barbecue the kebabs, peel the bananas and pears. Core and quarter the pears and cut the bananas into chunks.
Take the fruit platter to the table and keep your guests occupied by asking them to thread the fruit alternately onto the kebabs! Meanwhile heat the sauce through on the barbecue. (Select a warm, rather than hot setting to do this).
Sprinkle the fruit kebabs with caster sugar and drizzle with a little honey and cook them for 5 minutes over a hot area on the barbecue, frequently turning them and sprinkling with any remaining sugar.
As soon as the fruit becomes slightly caramelised and just tender, transfer to individual plates. Place the warm butterscotch sauce in the centre of the table and dip in!

Flash Tip:

Try different combinations of fruits and sauces. Strawberries, oranges and pears go well with a chocolate sauce and the more tropical fruits like mango, pineapple and banana taste great with a coconut milk custard.