Caramel Dipped Fruit

A coating of caramel is useful for fruit that’s fully ripened-any longer and it’s on its way out. Take advantage and use caramel dipped fruit to garnish a cake or other dessert, or serve as a dessert in its own right as a pretty alternative to ordinary fruit salad. A crunchy coating that reveals a juicy middle is a very pleasing sensation.

Choose fresh fruit that’s in season, using whole pieces rather than slices. Strawberries, cherries, and grapes are ideal, as are tangerine segments. To obtain long thin strands that dangle off the fruit, dip them into the caramel then pull gently upward out of the pan, allowing the strands to harden. Cherries are by far the easiest to use; strawberries will need to be skewered on the end of a skewer or a fork.