Making Fruit Leather - Klarstein 10028437 Bedienungsanleitung

Lemon, Pineapple or Orange Juice
Fresh or bottled lemon, pineapple or orange juices are the best because of their natural sweetness.
Pineapple and orange juice can be used full strength or diluted to taste. If you use lemon juice, it is
best to dilute it with 1 part juice to 8 parts water and soak the fruit pieces for two minutes. Be aware
that the taste of these juices can overpower the taste of the fruit being dried and may not always
prevent discoloration of food. Experiment with the dilution and soaking times to suit your taste.
Ascorbic Acid
Crystalline ascorbic acid or products with ascorbic acid made for preserving fruits for canning may
be obtained from drug stores or from stores selling canning supplies. Most grocery stores sell it with
their canning supplies as well. Mix 1 tablespoon in four cups of water and soak the fruit for about two
minutes. Like lemon juice, the taste can be quite overpowering so experiment with concentrations
and soaking times.
Sometimes referred to as Fruit Rolls, Fruit Strips, or FruitJerky, fruitthat is pureed and dried in thin
sheets becomes a tasty, chewy, candy-like snack we will call fruit leather. You have probably sampled
the commercial versions from the market, but once you've tasted it made fresh at home with quality
fruit, you'll never go back to store bought! Fruit leather is a good way to make use of left-over or
overripe fruit that might otherwise be discarded.
Making Fruit leather is very easy. Start by thoroughly washing the fruit in cold water and remove any
stems or leaves left on the fruit. Remove the peel, skin, pits, or seeds as necessary. Then just puree
the fruit or fruit combination of your choice, and add just enough liquid to the blender to make a
smooth thick puree. Honey, fruit juice or water can be used but don't make the mixture tooth in or it
won't stay put on the dehyd rator shelf. With fruits that have a high moisture level little or no liquid
needs be added at all.
Since you are the cook, you get to taste the puree as you are making it. lt is not only your privilege
but an important part of the process, because if the puree tastes good, the leather will taste even
better! Remember that the flavours and sweetness will concentrate when the leather is dry, so don't
make it too sweet!
lt is best to use a fruit leather sheet designed for the purpose but if not available, you can line one
half of each drying tray with plastic wrap. To maintain adequate circulation only half of each tray
should be covered. If using more than one tray, place the plastic on alternate halves ofthe trays in
the stack. Remember thatthe trays only go in one way, so stack the trays properly on the counter
before lining them to assure proper placement of the plastic wrap.
When drying sticky purees (bananas, for instance) spray a small amount of vegetable oil spray on
the fruit leather sheet or plastic wrap. After all fruit leather sheets are filled, stack the drying trays
atop the base. Dehydrate until the fruit puree is the texture of leather. lt should be easy to peel off
of the fruit leather sheet. Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Spices, chopped nuts
or coconut may be added to the puree for extra flavour. For further variation, puree several types of
fruit together. Feel free to experiment with your recipes. Single fruit flavours will work just fine, but
there are lots of various fruit combinations that combine to make flavourful snacks. These include:
• Strawberry-Banana
• Strawberries-Rhubarb
• Pineapple-Peach
• Apple-Cinnamon

Making Fruit Leather

• Honey-Cranberry-Orange
• Pineapple-Orange
• Pineapple-Apricot
• Raspberry-Apple
• Raspberry-Banana-Coconut
• Mixed Berry
• Apple-Blueberry
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