Ingredients:

  • 12 large firm strawberries
  • 12 seedless grapes
  • 1 medium mandarin orange, peeled and segmented
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 4 cups ice
  • 4 cups cold water

Instructions:

  1. Wash all fruit thoroughly. Individually pat each strawberry, grape, and orange segment dry with paper towels. Let them air-dry for an additional 10 minutes to ensure no surface moisture remains.
  2. Skewer 2-3 pieces of fruit onto each bamboo stick, ensuring they are snug but not squished.
  3. In a small, deep saucepan, combine granulated sugar, 1 cup water, and light corn syrup. Stir once to combine before turning on the heat.
  4. Turn heat to medium-high and stop stirring. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Boil the mixture until it reaches exactly 300°F (150°C), the hard-crack stage.
  5. Once at 300°F, tilt the pan to pool the syrup. Quickly rotate each skewer in the syrup for a thin coating, then immediately plunge into the ice bath for 5 seconds to shock the sugar into a glass-like state.