Fruit Kabobs
Vary the fruit, if you like, but definitely use avocado, a fruit usually thought of as a vegetable. Its creamy texture and mild, nutty flavor are a luscious surprise. If time permits, cut the pineapple into triangles, the avocado into cubes, and the banana into rounded chunks, leaving the tangerine sections and strawberries whole. (Any odd pieces of fruit that remain can be blended with yogurt and orange juice as a treat for the cook.)
Serve this as an appetizer for guests or as a simple and healthful snack for your family.
Basting Sauce
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon ground allspice (see Tip)
Fruit
2 tangerines, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Sixteen 1-inch cubes fresh pineapple (about ¼ pineapple)
16 fresh strawberries, hulled
Soak sixteen 6-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
To make the basting sauce: Stir together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Thread the fruit onto the skewers in the order listed. Lightly brush the sauce on all sides of the fruit.
Broil the skewers 4 to 5 inches from the heating element for about 3 minutes, or until the fruit is just heated through but not cooked. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, television personality, spokesperson, freelance food writer, and the award-winning author of 13 cookbooks, is known internationally for her quick-to-prepare recipes with gourmet flair. Paulette's most recently published cookbook is "The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet: Creative Cuisine Made Fast and Fresh." She is also the author of "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" and "The Spirited Vegetarian," which was voted "Best Book in the World on Cooking with Wine" at the 2005 Gourmand World Media Awards. Paulette says that international travel is her favorite source of culinary inspiration. 
