Candied Fruit Platter Recipes

UPSIDE-DOWN FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-in. square baking pan with heavy-duty foil; grease foil. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in bourbon. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with candied fruit., In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition. Stir in pecans., Drop batter by spoonfuls over fruit; spread carefully. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate; remove foil. Serve warm.

HOW TO MAKE CANDIED FRUIT

Steps:

• 1. Prepare fruit. Cut pineapple, apricots and watermelon rind into small pieces; chop cherries in half; remove white pith from lemon, orange or grapefruit peel and cut into strips or small pieces. Depending on your finished use you may also simply cut your fruit into 1/4 inch (aprox.) slices.
• 2. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup honey and 1-1/2 cups water in heavy saucepan.
• 3. Boil over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 235 degrees F on candy thermometer.
• 4. Thread Stage 230° F-235° F sugar concentration: 80% At this relatively low temperature, there is still a lot of water left in the syrup. When you drop a little of this syrup into cold water to cool, it forms a liquid thread that will not ball up. Cooking sugar syrup to this stage gives you not candy, but syrup-something you might make to pour over ice cream.
• 5. Drop small amount of fruit into liquid.
• 6. Cook on low heat 20-30 minutes until the fruit or rind is transparent.
• 7. Drain and repeat with rest of fruit in the same syrup.
• 8. Cool fruit and store in airtight container. Your fruit can also be rolled in granulated sugar after it is cooled, to give it a nice frosty coating and to help keep the bits separate.
• 9. NOTE: When you are done making your candied fruit, you will have a very tasty syrup that can be used to sweeten drinks, or pour over ice cream... or whatever you can dream up. It might even be good as a glaze on a bundt cake! Be sure you taste it before storing it. If you like it, keep it. If you don't, well then toss it out.
• 10. Here's how they do it in Canada with lots more tips and information: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/how_to_make_candied_fruit.php More information and tips can be found at: http://allrecipes.com/howto/candying-fruits/
• 11. Interesting history from Wikipedia: Food preservation methods using sugar (palm syrup and honey) were known to the ancient cultures of China and Mesopotamia. However, the precursors of modern candying were the Arabs, who served candied citrus and roses at the important moments of their banquets. With the Arab domination of parts of southern Europe, candied fruit made its way to the West. The first documents that demonstrate the use of candied fruit in Europe date back to the sixteenth century.
• 12. Tips & Warnings You can blanch citrus peels (dip them in boiling water for a few minutes) to make them less bitter. If desired, you can also DEHYDRATE your CANDIED FRUIT by spreading thin layers on trays and drying for 12-18 hours at 120 degrees F until fruit is no longer sticky and the center has no moisture. To sun dry, put trays in full sun for 1-2 days, stirring occasionally, until fruit is no longer sticky. Take trays in at night. To oven dry, spread on trays and dry at 120 degrees F for 18-24 hours. Store dried candied fruit in an airtight container.
• 13. Found this particular recipe on http://www.ehow.com/how_3910_make-candied-fruit.html#ixzz2FQpsT6S

GLAZED STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminium foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• Wash the strawberries and dry them carefully.
• Prepare an ice bath by placing ice and cold water in a bowl large enough to hold your intended saucepan.
• Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Insert a candy thermometer.
• Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Continue to cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 300 F on the candy thermometer.
• During this process, which can take from 10 to 20 minutes, wipe down the sides of the saucepan occasionally with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization.
• Once the candy has reached 300 F, remove the pan from the heat immediately and immerse the bottom in the prepared ice bath to stop it from cooking any further. Do not let the ice water get into the pot.
• Once the candy has stopped cooking (look for the bubbles to stop rising from the bottom of the pan), remove the pan from the ice water. Now you can begin to dip your berries. Holding a strawberry by the stem, dip it until it is almost submerged in the candy. Be careful not to touch the liquid candy, as it is very hot and can cause painful burns.
• Remove the berry from the candy and allow the excess to drip off the end.
• Turn it a few times to ensure excess candy has dripped off, then place it on the prepared, oiled baking sheet.
• Quickly repeat with remaining berries until they are all coated in candy.
• Allow the candy to set at room temperature.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

FRESH FRUIT PLATTER

Steps:

• I like to begin the platter with a base of ripe, colorful, sliced melons and pineapple--for example, cantaloupe, honeydew, Galia, or Cavaillon melons, plus the new "golden" pineapples. Peel the outside of a whole melon, cut it in half through the stem end, and scoop out the seeds. Place the melon halves cut side down on a board, and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan each half-melon out slightly and arrange it on the platter. Next, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, peel the outside, and use a sharp knife to remove the "eyes." Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and remove the core by cutting a "V" down the center of each half. Again, place the pineapple halves, cut side down, on a board and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan the slices out and arrange them next to the melon on the platter.
• Once the base is set, you can add any kind of fruit that's available. I like to have one thing that is taller than the rest, such as a large bunch of grapes or a decoratively cut papaya, to give the platter height. Then I add raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and fresh figs in casual but organized groups. The platter can look like a bowl of M&M's if there are too many colors scattered with no order. Visually, your eye needs to have a focal point and to be able to see each type of fruit. After all the fruit is arranged, I add flat green leaves around the outside of the fruit, to set off the colors. Use lemon and galax leaves from your florist, or fig leaves and grape leaves from your garden. Make sure they are pesticide-free and well washed.
• Any kind of fruit will work well on this platter. For special occasions, add persimmons, kiwi, passion fruit, Queen Anne cherries, fresh apricots, and mangos. Choose whatever is colorful and seasonal.