This is the season for making fruit leather. You may use any kind of fruit purée: apple, peach (a little earlier in the season, I guess), grape, pear--whatever you have. A thick mixture will dry into leather faster than a thin one. Mine are usually unsweetened; do as you wish. Cover a baking sheet with plastic wrap--a little water smeared on the sheet underneath the plastic wrap will help it stick to the sheet without folding up. If you have silicone baking mats, these are the best. Spread about 1 1/2 cups purée on the sheet or plastic wrap, tilting the pan or smoothing with a rubber spatula till the depth of purée is fairly even. Put baking sheets in oven turned to its lowest setting; blessed are you who have gas ovens with pilot lights! Just use the warmth in there. Either way, prop the door slightly open with a wooden spoon just stuck in, enough to create an opening 1/4-1/2 to let moisture escape. This is important! Leave pans in oven until leathery, with no wet pockets. This will take between 4-12 or even more hours, depending on your oven and the weather. Just check it every hour or so after the first three. I usually turn on my oven before bed, set to turn off after three hours. The next morning, if the pans need more time, we go on. Let pans cool and then comes the fun part--peeling off the leather from either plastic wrap or silicone mat. It really is fun. Cut your sheet of leather into serving sizes with a scissors. Theoretically, they can be stored at room temperature, but I freeze or refrigerate mine. They will last for years, at least until someone finds them and realized what great, portable snacks they are!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:21:15 +0000
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