Nothing could be better than sugar-kissed fruit

Tag : Fruit Candy

There's something about food on a stick that says summer.
Think s'mores, cotton candy, corn dogs, caramel apples, Popsicles.If these don't make your mouth water, try a deep-fried Snickers baron a stick. I've read that this treat -- or should I call it aheart-attack-on-a-stick? -- is a favorite at state fairs throughoutthe nation.
Which brings me to my version of summer fare: fruit on a stick.It's a lot easier than deep-frying a candy bar, and healthier, too.
I picked this recipe because of the picture of the dish on the FoodNetwork's Web site. I know, I'm always talking about getting suckedin by food photos, but this one really was mouthwatering. Thenectarines were perfectly caramelized. Juice dripped off the plums.I wanted to reach into my screen and take a bite. Many bites.
Another thing I liked about this recipe: It's only one paragraphlong.
My husband bought the fruit. He picked white peaches instead ofnectarines, and I'm glad he did. They're sweet on their own, butgrilled with sugar on top? Heavenly.
Skewering the fruit was more difficult than I imagined. By the timeI got around to making the recipe, the plums were soft. After Itook the pits out and got them on the skewers, they were barelyhanging on by their skins.
Grilling was an adventure. It took some maneuvering to get thepeach and plum halves all face-down on the hot grill at the sametime. Next time, I'll use tongs.
Removing them from the grill was no picnic. Most of the plum halvesfell off, so by the time the skewers got to the table, they didn'tlook nearly as pretty as the picture.
But they tasted like summer. The caramelized sugar gave the fruitextra sweetness, without being too cloying. The plums and thepeaches melted in our mouths.
If I make this recipe again, I'll skip the skewers. Couldn't youjust put the fruit, cut side down, on the grill without them?
Then again, there's something about food on a stick.
Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at 578-2358 or at kmccray@modbee.com .