Glazed fruit

Small, whole fresh fruits or berries, or pieces of dried fruit, coated with a thin layer of sugar syrup cooked to the hard crack stage, which forms a shiny transparent shell. Glazed fruits are used as a garnish or as part of a petits fours tray served after a meal. A whole stemmed strawberry may be glazed and used to decorate a strawberrry soufflé, just as orange, apple, or pear wedges can be glazed and used to enhance the presentation of desserts made with those fruits, such as a pear or apple charlotte or a Grand Marnier soufflé. Because the juices released when fresh fruits are dipped into hot caramel will eventually penetrate and melt the sugar shell, glazed fruits should be prepared as close as possible to serving time. Glazed dried fruits, on the other hand, hold up better and can be kept in an airtight container for a few days if needed. They are generally used as a colorful addition to a candy or petits fours tray rather than to garnish a dessert.