INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed
saucepan over medium-high heat. The corn syrup will make the cooked
sugar harder and crunchier; it will also help prevent the cooked
sugar from melting as quickly when it reacts to the
humidity in the air. Insert a candy thermometer and cook the sugar
mixture to 311F (155C), what is known as the hard crack stage. Stir
the sugar slowly as it cooks to ensure that it cooks evenly. If you
do not stir it, the mixture will develop hot spots and the sugar will
cook faster in those spots. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of
the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks, or the sugar may
recrystallize. To do this, dip a clean brush in cold water and brush
the inside of the pan clean.
Remove the cooked sugar from the heat and pour it into a medium-size
heatproof glass bowl. The glass bowl will hold the temperature and
stop the cooking process. It will also allow you to reheat the sugar
in the microwave if necessary. If you leave the sugar in the
saucepan, the sugar will continue to cook and turn dark brown.
Occasionally stir the hot sugar to keep it from darkening due to the
residual heat. Stirring also helps to keep its temperature even. I
put a towel under the bowl to keep it from tipping and to protect my
hands from the heat of the glass.
Peel, core or pit, and halve the fruit as necessary. Use a sharp
knife to slice the fruit into small pieces. (This is not necessary
for berries or grapes.) Arrange the fruit on toothpicks or small
skewers in any combination you like. Leave enough room at one end of
the toothpick or skewer so you will be able to hold it as you dip it
in the hot sugar. Dip each toothpick in the hot sugar, coating the
fruits completely. Wipe the toothpick against the rim of the bowl to
remove any excess sugar and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
Repeat until all of the fruit has been dipped. The fruit skewers
should release easily from the parchment paper as soon as they cool.
You can arrange them on a plate or use your imagination to make a
fruit skewer centerpiece.
To cool a hot thermometer, stand it upright in a tall container. Do
not put in cold water, or it will break. Keeping it upright ensures
the mercury will not separate as it cools. I usually buy the
thermometers that come in a metal casing or cage. Always hang your
thermometer when it is time to store it.
Yield: 1 pound dipped fruit
Converted by MC_Buster.
NOTES : Recipes Courtesy of Jacques Torres, Pastry Chef, Le Cirque
2000 and author of Dessert Circus At Home
Recipe by: IN FOOD TODAY SHOW #INL188
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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