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!
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
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 –
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.
Makes:
8 kebabs