Recipe: Apricot Fruit Leather (Quamar-el-Deen)

Fruit Leather in strips or rolled up

Makes about 8 strips

Feel free to play around with this recipe to make flavors and combinations that you like. Be sure to check out the tips in Technique Thursday. Time may vary on when this is done, depending on your oven. Please check multiple times so as not to overcook this!

Ingredients:

12 ounces dried apricots, quartered
1 cup water
2 Tbsp honey
4 cardamom pods

Method:

1. In a small pot, simmer dried apricots with water, honey, and cardamom pods. Simmer about 20 minutes.

Apricots are quartered to allow flavors to mingle when simmered

Cardamom adds a subtle flavor

2. Carefully remove cardamom pods. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture. The mixture should be a bit thicker than applesauce.

Puree

3. Line a baking sheet with silpat (or microwave safe saran wrap). Pour apricot mixture over silpat about 3/8″ thick. Spread evenly.

Fruit is spread on silpat before going into the oven to dry

4. Place baking sheet in a warm oven for 6-8 hours, or until apricot leather is just tacky to the touch. Store, covered in a cool, dry place, refrigerate or freeze.

Fruit Leather should be "bendy" not brittle

Slice into strips if desired

Fruit Leather Made thin with jarred applesauce (only took about 2 hours to dry out!)