Tropical Fruit Sticks with Lemon Grass Syrup

Makes 6

Ingredients

• Lemon grass Syrup:
• 200g (1 cup) sugar
• 375ml (1½ cups) water
• 3 sticks lemon grass, white part only, cut into 2cm pieces
• 4cm fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• Fruit:
  1. 3 large mangoes
  2. 1 large wedge watermelon
  3. 1 large pineapple, peeled
  4. 6 cactus pears, peeled and halved
  5. Lemon juice

Method:

1. For the syrup combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Allow the syrup to cool, then place in the freezer until ice cold but not frozen.
2. Slice off the cheeks of the mangoes and peel. Cut the watermelon into 12 chunks, removing the pips. Cut the pineapple into 6 wedges. Thread each piece of mango onto a wooden kebab stick, followed by a piece of watermelon, then a piece of pineapple, then another piece of watermelon, then half a cactus pear. End with the other cactus pear half.
3. Strain the cold syrup and discard the lemon grass, ginger and vanilla pod. Serve each fruit stick with a small pot of ice cold syrup.