snack

Fruit Leather Recipe

~ MKW Publishing ~ 1 Comment

A good idea for fruit if you happen to find you have too much at harvest time, you find a deal, or you just want to make some tasty snacks which last a bit longer than just resh fruit.

I decided to try and make two at the same time, having completely failed on my first attempt at just trying one. But I realise I spread the mixture too thinly and left it drying out too long, so made it much thicker this time. And read a couple of other recipes to make sure I really did understand the process, which is simple, but clearly still room to screw up!

First one – Strawberry and Apple – put however much you want into a blender, I used half an apple, and a good handful and a hald of strawberries. A squeeze of lemon and then blend it until smooth. I didn’t bother weighing anything for this, just winging it.

Second one – Blueberry and Apple – again half an apple, and about two handfuls of blueberries at least, and a small squeeze of lemon. I also threw in two raspberries and a strawberry to help it liquify. Then completely blend.

The pectin in the apple helps it to go jammy, but you can just use lemon juice if needed, apple isn’t required if you just want one fruit flavour. And you can add sugar if you want, or honey is you like a bit of extra sweetness.

Put the fruit smoothie in a pan, and heat for around 10 minutes until it goes jammy. Stir frequently and you’ll see when it starts to get thicker, but it’s when it just starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and need scraping that I would say it was ready.

Then pour onto baking paper or a silicon tray, and smooth into a rectangle of similar thickness throughout.

Put in the over on 80 degrees for around 3-4 hours, you’ll have to judge when done by touching and if it isn’t sticky, and it stays together when you start to peel it off. Then remove and cut into strips using scissors, and roll into strips keeping the baking paper on as it then acts as a wrapper (I got fresh paper put as the one used was a bit soggy). Put in an airtight container in the fridge and they last for a few weeks apparently. Although I’m sure they won’t last that long!

(c) K Wicks

Homemade Popcorn

~ MKW Publishing ~ 1 Comment

I was surprised at how easy it is to make popcorn at home! I kind of always thought you needed a microwave, and a packet bought from the shops. Not so. And now I’m hooked.

Buy a bag of corn, there is a specific type for popcorn, but you get a lot for what you get out of it.

Butter in pan (homemade butter in this case and probably about 1-2 tablespoons worth), put the corn in as well and cover all the corns with the butter as it melts. Add a bit of salt, and cover on a low heat. Then within about 5 minutes it starts popping away. Turn off when you think they are mostly done, and wait a couple more minutes to remove the lid.

You can also then make your own caramel if you want sweet popcorn. Put some sugar in the pan and wait for it to caramelise (don’t stir it). Once it’s caramelised, turn off heat and tip in the popcorn and toss until coated. Then set aside to cool.

(c) K Wicks