Since Momma D. has been in my life there has been fruit leather. So I naturally thought that I would give it a try even though I don't have a dehydrator. Needless to say my sugar crazy husband loved them and they will definitely be a staple when berry season is here.
**Vegan Note*** This could be made vegan by omitting the honey
Another note is that I don't believe the sugar to be necessary at all. My DH however is a firm believer that sugar is vital (any one who knows him can vouch that he has one intense sweet tooth!) Ultimately the choice is yours. The recipe and method I have listed is for the oven but if you have a dehydrator by all means use it to save yourself time.
Preheat oven to 170* F
Start with 1 lb fresh berries rinsed and picked through to make sure there is nothing "foreign" in them
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh fruit
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS honey
Next place them into a medium skillet or sauce pan with approximately 1/4 cup fresh water. Simmer until they begin to get soft. I remove mine after they begin to turn color (about 6 minutes)
Transfer berries to a food processor and process until smooth. If omitting the sugar transfer puree to a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper moving the pan around to spread mixture evenly. Then place into oven. If using sweetener transfer puree back to pan and add 2TBS sugar and about 2 TBS Honey. Simmer until mixture begins to get thicker and is more like syrup. Then transfer same as above.
In the morning remove from pan and slice into strips. Roll up (like fruit roll up) and store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
One word:
ReplyDeleteYUM.