Rachel and I were quite keen to begin using our new River Cottage handbooks:
So we decided to start with the blackberry and apple leather, as it didn't require sterilizing jars! And after many, many hours in the oven, this is exactly what it looked like:
I adored fruit leather as a child. It's perfect for school lunches and snacks: easy to pack and fun to eat. But while shop-bought fruit leather can contain quite a few things other than fruit, our homemade River Cottage version was all goodness: blackberries, apples, lemons, and honey.
The one thing we learned, though, was that you can't put more than two trays in the oven at a time. We tried four trays--hoping for a double batch--but too much condensation built up, preventing the puree from drying in the set time.
But it all worked out in the end. We'll just have to do fewer sheets next time--difficult when it's so tasty!
What a glorious colour it is - like stained glass.
ReplyDeleteMy boys love fruit leather, but too many shop bought versions tip them over the edge into truly hyper mode. Perhaps we should give home made a try.
wow.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the bought stuff, but this looks fantastic...
maybe, I'm tempted.
(what a horrible name though... leather?)
That does sound good for lunches. I was horrified to read the ingredients of some of the 'natural' stuff sold as healthy stuff for children - this sounds much more like it.
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous - I don't have the patience for artisan cooking at the moment so I will just have to enjoy yours at a distance.
ReplyDeleteYour picture looks like more like "fruit stained glass" than leather, it's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDear god when did I become a Valley Girl! I think one "like" would have been sufficient lol!
ReplyDeleteThat colour is beautiful, so jewel like. I have read about making fruit leather and am now determined to try, my daughters love it. I might just end up sticking it to the windows though as the sun shining through it is so wonderful!
ReplyDeleteKimx