Fruit Leather

Fruit leather is a fun food that is loved by kids and adults alike. When you purchase it in a store, it may contain sugar of various types. By making it at home, you can save money, use any organically grown fruits you choose in any combination, add flavorings, choose type and amount of sweeteners, and use a lot less packaging.

Fruit leather is actually an ancient way to preserve fruit. My Armenian grandmother used to make a candy called pastegh, which called for spreading thickened fruit juice on a piece of heavy cotton muslin. The juice was left on the table to dry overnight, then hung from the clothesline for another day of drying. It's only logical that this technique would have earlier origins.

Fruit leather is extremely easy to make in the oven, in a food dehydrator, or even out in the sun. It's a great summertime activity, as a large amount can be made from summer fruits as they come into ripeness, by drying in the summer sunshine. It can also be made anytime of year from seasonal or frozen fruits.

makes 1 sheet of fruit leather, about 12" x 17"

2 cups fruit
2 tablespoons sweetener, or to taste (optional)
Flavoring extract to taste (optional)

1. Cut fruit into chunks and puree in blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Pour through a strainer to remove any skin or seeds. Stir in sweetener and flavoring, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to lowest possible temperature.
4. Line a 12" x 17" baking sheet unbleached parchment paper or silicone baking sheet. If you think you are going to want to store the finished fruit leather, use the parchment paper, as you can then just roll it up for storage.
5. Pour the pureed fruit on the baking sheet and spread it around almost to the edges. I've found the best way to do this is by tilting the pan or using an offset spatula, such as the type you would use to spread frosting.
6. Bake for 4 to 6 hours until the fruit sheet is dry enough not to stick to your fingers but moist enough to roll. Be sure to test for doneness in the center of the pan. It is done when you can touch the fruit and your finger leaves no indentation. Remove from oven and cool. If you overbake and it gets crispy, don't worry. Just leave it out in the pan it will absorb moisture from the air to become leathery again.
7. When fruit is cool, cut into desired size with a knife or pizza or ravioli cutter (which gives a decorative zigzag edge), or just rip off a piece with your hands.
8. If you don't eat it all right away, you can store fruit leather in an airtight container for 30 days at room temperature, and up to one year tightly wrapped in the freezer. Place each piece of fruit leather on parchment paper and roll it up.

TIPS:

• Any type ripe fruit can be used: apricots, apples, cherries, grapes, berries, pineapple, oranges, pear, peaches, plums or tropical fruit or combinations. This is an excellent way to take advantage of very sweet very ripe fruits that are sold at low prices during their season.
• Prepare fruits as for table, removing stones, pits, seeds andpeel as desired.
• Apples and Concord grapes should be cooked until tender and made into sauce first.
• For fruits that tend to darken, add 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice or 1/8 teaspoon ascorbic acid (375 mg) per 2 cups of fruit.
• If you want to add sweetener, try honey, agave nectar, or xylitol instead of white sugar.
• Applesauce can be dried alone or added to any fresh fruit pureé as an extender. It decreases tartness and makes the leather smoother and more pliable.
• Cookie cutters can be used to cut out shapes for children.
• Vary flavors with herbs, spices, zests, and flavoring extracts. Try allspice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mace, mint, nutmeg, vanilla or almond extract, lemon or lime juice, lemon or lime peel or zest. Use sparingly, start with 1/8 teaspoon for each 2 cups of pureé.
• Add other dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, such as shredded coconut, chopped dates, chopped raisins, other dried chopped fruits, granola, chopped nuts, sesame seeds.
• Roll up around a filling, such as melted grain- sweetened chocolate chips, softened cream cheese, cheese spreads, fruit spreads or nut butters. Spread one or more of these on the leather after it is dried and then roll. Cut crossways to make pretty spirals. Store in refrigerator.

This is a great holiday confection and homemade gift possibility.

I made the basic recipe (above) with 8 cups Gala apples (peeled, cored, and chopped), 1 cup fresh cranberries, and 6 tablespoons honey. It was delightful! It tasted much more like fresh fruits than the store-bought variety.

Roll this up in some sheets of clear cellophane, tie it with a ribbon--instant holiday gift!

    Variations: • Fruit Leather Cavity Fighter