Fruit Leather (or in this case, Fruit Chips)

Yesterday was the day I decided to try my hand at a childhood favorite, Fruit Leather or just good old fashioned Fruit-Roll-Up.  The process was simple enough, boil some fruit in some water, strain, dry and serve.  Easy huh? Well apparently not.  I have, however, learned my lesson and know what to do differently the next time I make this delectable treat and I will pass that wisdom on to you.


Fruit Leather

Ingredients:
1 lb Strawberries
¼ cup Water
1 dash Lemon Juice
Sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Cut up strawberries into quarters or eighths, depending on preference and place into pot with water and lemon juice.










2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the color, until the fruit begins to break down.

3. Transfer the concoction to a food processor or blender or even a food mill if you have one (i used a food processor, worked fine) and blend it till it is a fine liquid. At this point, taste the mixture and add sugar if you want it to be sweeter, keep in mind though that the natural sugars in the strawberries with usually be enough for most people.


4.  Use a sieve to get rid of the seeds and pour liquid onto a baking sheet covered in microwave proof plastic or parchment paper so that it is about ¼ to ⅛ thick, the thicker the better.


5. Preheat your oven to the lowest possible heat, in my case it was 170 degrees Fahrenheit and place your liquid mixture in there for about 12 hours, making sure to flip it halfway through.

This was my finished product and it tastes pretty good!  The only mistake I made was that I did not use enough strawberries so the final product came out more like a cracker than a Fruit-Roll-Up but hey, they are still mighty tasty.

On a side note, I also attempted to make a kiwifruit mixture too but little did I know that when boiled, kiwifruit takes on the smell of a combination of broccoli and asparagus, not appetizing in the least.  Now you know.