No, this isn’t a commentary on the PC qualities of how we refer to fruit. It’s about creating your own fruit reductions and sauces - something I’ve only recently started doing, but have fallen in love with. Since it is winter, and getting fresh fruit can be an expensive proposition, using frozen fruit in new ways is especially attractive. By simply boiling frozen fruit, you can get a sauce to use just about anywhere - on your Flourless Chocolate Cake or whipped in with plain cream cheese. With significantly less sugar and more flavor than processed “fruit sauces,” this is a great way to treat yourself without guilt.
The method itself is simple - in a large saucepan or steep-walled frying pan, combine approximately 2 cups frozen, unsweetened fruit and 2 cups water. Place over medium-high heat and boil, stirring occasionally. The boiling water will break down the frozen fruit, and you’ll get a very watery, soupy mix. Let this mix boil down, stirring every few minutes, until it is as thick as you’d like (for medium-thick, great as a sauce, it usually takes 15-25 total minutes.) Depending on your tastes, this mixture can easily be sweetened by adding a tablespoon or so of honey or sugar while it’s reducing (boiling), and a few sprinkles of salt will up the flavor. If you would prefer a smooth sauce instead of the slightly chunky one that this results in, give it a few go-rounds in a blender or food processor. Unsweetened, the sauce will be fairly tart - this is because the fruit they freeze is usually much “younger” than the fruit you’d buy in the store - it didn’t spend as much time being shipped around, and is usually picked smaller and slightly less ripe than fruit destined to be sold “fresh”.
It’s important that you use frozen fruit in this recipe - when fruit freezes, the water inside it crystallizes, pushing the cell walls out. When the fruit thaws, those cell walls can’t spring back, and the fruit becomes mushy. By putting the fruit in the path of very hot water, the cells not only thaw, but “explode” from the huge change in temperature, and therefore break down much more easily.
Once the fruit is broken down and mixed in with water, you continue boiling it to evaporate the water. This serves two purposes - concentrating the flavor that seeps out into the water, and, along with the natural pectin in fruit, thickening the sauce.
I’ve done this with strawberries, blueberries, and peaches - but it would work with just about any frozen fruit. If you’ve got only fresh fruit - no worries - cut it into small pieces, stick it in the freezer overnight, and then boil it down.
What can you do with a fruit reduction? Just about anything! Some of my favorites -
Using it as a sauce on desserts
Replace 1/4 cup of the liquid in a muffin or quick bread recipe with reduction
Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of reduction in with softened cream cheese for a much-healthier homemade flavored spread
Add to milkshakes or protein shakes
Stir in with your oatmeal
Mix with whipped topping for a fruity way to top things off
Store fruit reduction in a sealed container in your fridge for up to a week - or (for the ultimate in irony) freeze it, then thaw in the microwave or fridge when you’re ready to use it.
One Response
January 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
This is awesome. I am definitely going to try it.
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