Recipes

A recipe for blackberry and apple fruit leather, it's chosen from Preserves by Pam Corbin. She writes "Fruit leathers are thin, pliable sheets of dried sweetened fruit puree with a flexible consistency exactly like leather. To be truthful, I had always avoided making them, thinking they sounded complicated. But, in a spirit of experimentation, I decided to try some out for this book. They were a revelation. I discovered how easy it is to create these strong, semi-transparent sheets and how versatile they are."

Makes 2 sheets 24x30cm

    500g blackberries
    500g peeled, cored and chopped cooking apples (2-3 large apples)
    Juice of 1 lemon
    150g honey

Method

Preheat the oven to a very low setting - I use 60C. Line two baking sheets, measuring about 24 x 30cm, with baking parchment.

Put the blackberries, apples and lemon juice into a pan. Cook gently until soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes. Rub the mixture through a sieve or mouli into a bowl; you should have about 700g smooth fruit puree. Add the honey and mix well.

Divide the puree between the two baking sheets. Spread it out lightly with the back of a spoon until the puree covers the sheets in a thin, even layer.

Put the baking sheets in the oven and leave for 12-18 hours, until the fruit puree is completely dry and peels off the parchment easily. Roll up the leather in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Use within 5 months.

Variations
There is no end to the possible variations here - you can turn any fruit into a leather. All you need do is create a smooth thick puree with your chosen fruit before drying it out. Try plums, spicing the puree with a little cinnamon; or peaches, infusing them with a few honeysuckle blossoms as they cook. For a savoury leather use half and half apples and tomatoes seasoned with celery salt.