To Dry Fruit Pulp
To Dry Fruit Pulp is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for a classic dried fruit leather made from cherry or plum pulp that's boiled until thickened and then dried in an oven. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To Dry Fruit Pulp.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
150 minutes
Total Time:
170 minutes
Serves:
12–15
Rating: 
Tags : Baking RecipesBritish Recipes
Original Recipe
How to keepe the drie pulpe of cheries, Prunes, Damſons &c. all the yeare (from Sir Hugh Platt's
Delightes of Ladies to adorne their Persons, Tables, Closets, and distillatories with Beauties, banquets,perfumes and waters. Reade, Practise, and Censure 1602)
45. How to keepe the drie pulpe of cheries, Prunes, Damſons &c. all the yeare.
Take the kinde of cherries which are ſharp in taſte (Quære if the common black and redde cherrie will not alſo ſerue, hauing in the ende of the decoion a little oyle of Vitrioll or Sulphur, or ſome veriuice of ſoure grapes, or iuice of Lemmons mixed therewith, to giue a ſufficient tartneſſe) pull of their ſtalks and boile them by themſelues without the addition of any liquor in a caldron or pipken, and when they begin once to boile in their own iuice, ſtir them hard at the bottom with a ſpattle, leaſt they burn to the pans bottom. They haue boyled ſufficiently, when thy haue caſte off all their skins, and that the pulp and ſubſtance of the cherries is grown to a thicke pap: then take it from the fire, and let it coole, then diuide the ſtones and skins, by paſſing the pulpe onely through the bottome of a ſtrainer reuerſed as they vſe in caſſia fiſtula, then take this pulpe and ſpread it thin vpon glazed ſtones or diſhes, and ſo let it drie in the ſunne, or elſe in an ouen preſently after you haue drawne your breade, then looſe it from the ſtone or diſh, & keepe it to prouoke the appetite, and to coole the ſtomacke in feuers, and all other hote diſeaſes. Proue the ſame in all manner of fruit. If you feare aduſtion in this worke, you may finiſh it in hote balneo.
Modern Redaction
Essentially this is a recipe for what we, today would call a
fruit leather and is still commonly used as a way of preserving fruit for winter. Modern leathers would probably have 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp lemon juice added per 500ml of fruit pulp. This Elizabethan version is far more highly
acidulated and, very unusually for the period, it contains no sugar or any other sweetener.
Ingredients:
500g cherries or dark plums
2 tbsp
verjuice or lemon juice
Method:
Place the fruit in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat gently until the fruit begins to break down then bring to a boil and continue boiling, stirring constantly, until the cherries have completely broken down and you the mixture is thick.
Take off the heat and pass through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract as much pulp as possible. Stir the lemon juice into the pulp then set aside to cool.
Now line a baking tray with heat-proof clingfilm (the kind you can microwave). Note that an average baking tray (about 30cm x 42cm) will hold about 500ml of purée. Add the purée to the covered baking tray, spread evenly with a spatula (you want a depth of about 4mm) then place in an oven pre-heated to 140°C. Place the baking tray in the oven but leave the door ajar (you want the steam to escape, as you are drying the leather) and cook for about 6 hours, or until the fruit leather is very dry. The exact drying time will depend on the sugar levels, the more sugar the longer it will take to dry. The leather must be completely dry, or it will not keep. To ensure the leather is dry simply try to pull it away from the clingfilm (plastic wrap). If it comes away easily and holds its shape then it is dry (make sure its not too dry though, as then it will crumble bit it can still be eaten as a candy). To store, cover the fruit leather in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and roll loosely. Place in a clean, dry container and seal (I typically use a pasta jar with a bung). It will keep in the store cupboard for between 4 and 12 months or you can refrigerate and keep even longer.
Find more Hugh Plat Recipes Hereand more Traditional Elizabethan Recipes Here.