The beneficial properties of pumpkins can be talked about endlessly. Due to its low calorie content, the flesh of the berry is excellent for dietetic nutrition. Pumpkin is also useful for children's diets, as it contains a large amount of trace elements and vitamins. Despite the fact that it is a berry, it is possible to cook not only the first, second courses and desserts, but also drinks. Candied pumpkin is considered a particularly revered dish among children and adults.
What is the use?
Candied fruits can be a great alternative to sweets that many children consume handfuls. They can be served as a separate dish, or in addition to cereals. Candied pumpkin retains most of the beneficial substances lurking in fresh berries. They will help to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, increase immunity, help improve mood and reduce the rate of manifestation of age-related changes. Pumpkin can become a real home doctor, but subject to the technology of preparing dishes from it.
How to choose a pumpkin?
The process of making candied pumpkin requires patience and at least minimal culinary skills and knowledge. Thoughtless approach to cooking is not worth it, as you can miscalculate with the result. The first thing to do when planning to cook candied pumpkin at home (the recipe is given in the article) is to choose a suitable fruit.
When choosing a pumpkin, reviews are advised to consider:
- Weight. The choice of a large pumpkin is fraught with fiber and freshness of pulp.
- Peel. The main indicator of a delicious pumpkin is a smooth, hard peel without dark patches.
- Stripes. The stripes on the pumpkin should be straight, and run from the counter with pumpkins with a curvy pattern at the speed of light - nitrates were used to grow them.
- Tail. A ripe fruit with the most juicy and sweet pulp will have a dried tail.
Are all pumpkin varieties suitable for candied fruit?
The best option is nutmeg squash. Its benefits include:
- relatively small sizes;
- delicate, juicy pulp remotely resembling a pear to taste;
- easy to clean - the peel is easy to remove.
So, the pumpkin for making candied fruit is selected. After cleaning it, evaluate the flesh. The elastic and fleshy flesh of a pleasant orange tint is an excellent sign. Now you can cook delicious and healthy candied pumpkin at home.
Recipe for candied fruit in the oven
Can a tasty and sweet treat be helpful? Of course it can. And candied pumpkin is an excellent proof of this. The only minus of dessert, according to reviews, is the long cooking process. To make delicious candied pumpkin at home, check out the recipe below.
Essential Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Pulp - 700 g.
- Water - 2 tbsp.
- Sugar - 3 tbsp.
- Lemon - 1/2 pcs.
Cooking method:
- To cook candied pumpkin at home, the pulp of a pumpkin needs to be cut into cubes 1.5 * 1.5 cm.
- In the pan, mix the indicated amount of sugar and water, as well as the juice of half a lemon. We put on a slow fire and bring to a boil: syrup should turn out.
- In prepared sugar syrup, lay prepared slices and boil future candied pumpkin seeds for at least 3, but no more than 5 minutes.
- Turn off the fire and remove the candied fruit from the pan with a slotted spoon. We are waiting for them to cool completely and again return to boiling syrup.
- Boil another 5 minutes and remove again.
- The procedure for drying and languishing candied fruits in syrup is repeated 7 times.
- After completing the last run, we discard candied fruits on a sieve, so that extra syrup is stacked.
- The next step involves drying the candied pumpkin in the oven. Slices must be evenly distributed on parchment paper lined on a baking sheet. We carry out drying at a temperature of no more than 60 degrees. It is acceptable to dry at room temperature, but in addition to a long wait for the finished dish, this approach is fraught with damage to most candied fruits.
- An hour later, candied fruits in the oven are ready for the roll process. Remember that you can roll only slightly dried and completely cooled products.
Candied pumpkin is ready. They turn out magical, and most importantly, useful.
Recipe for candied fruit with citric acid and cinnamon
This is a “trick” method aimed at reorienting the taste and olfactory receptors: not everyone likes the lovely honey aroma of pumpkin.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin (pulp) - 1000 g.
- Sugar - 800 g.
- Citric acid - 5 g.
- Cinnamon to taste.
Recipe for step by step candied pumpkin
- The pulp of pumpkin, peeled from seeds and peel, cut into slices.
- Sprinkle slices 1/4 part of sugar and place in a cool place. We are waiting for the juice to intensively stand out from the pumpkin.
- When the amount of juice seems enough for you to make the syrup, put the pumpkin in sugar to simmer on low heat. We are waiting for boiling and remove from heat.
- We drain the juice by throwing the pumpkin on a sieve.
- When the juice and slices have cooled, pour out a glass of syrup and add the remaining sugar, citric acid and cinnamon to it.
- Boil the mixture until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
- Once again, pour the boiled syrup into the pumpkin and boil it: the slices should become transparent, and the syrup should be as thick as honey.
- Dry the pumpkin.
- The final stage is a roll in a mixture of cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Reviews recommend drying candied fruits well before serving. It is important that the slices are at a small distance from each other.
Refined option of preparation of candied fruits "Infinity"
The recipe is called Infinity, as it requires eight ingredients and eight steps.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin (pulp) - 2 kg.
- Oranges - 2 pcs.
- Sugar - 700 g.
- Water - 200 ml.
- Vanillin.
- Cinnamon.
- Powdered sugar.
- Cloves.
Cooking:
- The pulp of pumpkin and oranges is divided into slices. Oranges can be cut into circles.
- We mix water and sugar, we achieve boiling and dissolution of crystals.
- In boiling syrup, lay the pumpkin and orange slices and boil for 7 minutes over low heat.
- Remove from heat and boil again after 8 hours. Then cool again and boil again.
- Separate pumpkin slices from orange.
- Dry pumpkin slices in a special dehydrator or in the oven at low temperature. The process will take about 5 hours.
- Bread slices in a mixture of powdered sugar, cinnamon, cloves and vanillin.
Store dessert at room temperature in a room without high humidity.
Secrets of candied fruit
Each recipe has its own characteristics, and candied fruit recipe is no exception.
For example, so that the finished candied fruits do not stick together and have a mouth-watering appearance, after drying, they are subjected to collapse in various mixtures.
The cooled delicacy can be rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar and starch:
- Powdered sugar - 2 tbsp. l
- Starch - 1 tbsp. l
After the roll, rub the candied fruit between the palms to remove excess dusting. Such a breading will not allow candied fruits to stick together and give a delicious crisp.
For additional flavor and give the dish an oriental sophistication, sprinkle:
- Cinnamon to taste.
- Sugar or powder - 2-3 tbsp.
Mistresses also recommend adding vanillin or cloves. But, using cloves, remember its strong taste.
What to do with the remaining syrup?
After cooking candied pumpkin, there is syrup left, and you do not know what to do with it? Finding it easy to use. It is useful for impregnating pies and cakes, when cooking stewed fruit and jelly. Reviews also recommend using it as a sweet sauce or as a complement to pancakes or pancakes.