Strawberry Fruit Leather

Name: Strawberry Fruit Leather
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 6 h
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed and hulled; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; Pinch fine salt; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Rate

6 to 8 servings Easy

(5) Total: 30 mins, plus at least 5 1/2 hrs baking and cooling time

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Ingredients (4)

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch fine salt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Nutritional Information

Calories80
Fat0.34g
Saturated fat0.02g
Trans fat
Carbs19.94g
Fiber2.27g
Sugar16.68g
Protein0.77g
Cholesterol
Sodium49.71mg
Nutritional Analysis per serving (6 servings) Powered by

Strawberry is a classic fruit leather flavor: It’s sweet, it’s summery, and, unfortunately, it’s often made cheaply by blending apples with the strawberries. We stick to just strawberries in our version for a pure berry flavor—no other filler fruits to tone down the strawberry taste.

Special equipment: You will need a nonstick silicone baking mat.

Game plan: The fruit leather has a 5- to 7-hour baking time, so plan accordingly.

This recipe was featured as part of our Make Your Own Fruit Leather project.

by Christine Gallary

Instructions

1Heat the oven to 170°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and place it on a flat work surface; set aside.
2Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan; set aside.
3Place the strawberries, sugar, and salt in a blender and blend on high speed until you’ve got a very smooth purée, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the saucepan and, using a rubber spatula, scrape against the inside surface of the strainer to push the purée through until only mostly seeds remain. Remove the strainer and discard the seeds.
4Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan, until the mixture starts to bubble around the edges. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly and reduces to about 1 3/4 to 2 cups, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof container with a spout or return it to the cleaned and dried blender pitcher.
5Slowly pour the mixture onto the baking mat, tracing the inside of the colored border to create a rectangle. (If your baking mat has no border, leave a 1-inch border from the edge.)
6Pour the remaining mixture within the borders of the rectangle in a zigzag pattern (do not pour it all into the middle of the baking mat). Using the rubber spatula, push the mixture to cover any empty parts within the rectangle (the surface will not be even).
7Keeping the baking sheet on the work surface, grasp the edges of the sheet—pressing against the exposed border of the baking mat with your thumbs—and gently shake back and forth to even out the surface of the mixture, rotating the baking sheet and shaking as necessary.
8Place in the oven and bake until the surface of the fruit leather is slightly sticky to the touch but, when pressed in several different places, a finger does not leave an indentation, about 5 to 7 hours. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let cool completely.
9Set aside a 16-inch-long sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Starting at one short edge of the cooled fruit leather, pull it up from the baking mat and transfer it to the paper. Using clean kitchen scissors, cut through the fruit leather and paper to form the desired-size strips, shapes, or pieces and then roll them up, paper and all (to prevent sticking). Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.