Fruit leathers are on the rise again these days, which makes me very happy. This method of preserving fruit is centuries old. Many attempts have already been made in historical kitchens to save the fruit over the wintertime. The methods of preservation vary. We are familiar with boiling fruit into chutneys and jams and to pickle them with vinegar. To dry the fruit is probably one of the oldest methods (apples, pears, plums and raisins) and candying fruit (orange peel, lemon peel, pineapple and cherries) is also well known. Fruit confections in the form of fruit comfits, fruit pastes or pastilles, on the other hand, are less familiar. The thin version of this is now our fruit leather. This sweet can really be enjoyed without remorse.
600 grams of raspberries or strawberries, red and black currants, blueberries, plums or apricots
1 lemon, juice
100 grams of honey
1. Cook the fruits in a saucepan for a few minutes until soft and strain them through a hair sieve.
2. Let the fruit puree together with the lemon juice and honey simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Spread the puree evenly and thinly on two slightly oiled or lined baking sheets.
4. Let it dry overnight. Alternatively, the fruit leather can be dried in the oven at 70°C for 6 hours or cut into smaller strips in the dehydrator at 45°C for 12 hours.
5. Then roll up the strips or cut them into small diamond or square shapes and store them in airtight containers with baking paper between the layers.
6. They keep fresh for up to 2 months - that is if you could hide them from your friends and family.
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