Sun-dried cherries, the recipe of which we will consider later, is a very tasty and sweet product. As a rule, such a treat is used for all kinds of baking, cakes, pastries and other goodies. However, there are also people who prefer to use this product just like that, with tea.
Replacing sweets and other harmful desserts with dried cherries, you will noticeably improve your body by saturating it with vitamins and antioxidants.
Product selection
Sun-dried cherries recipe requires only freshly picked berries. A frozen product is not suitable for such a treat.
If you purchased cherries in the market, you must ensure that it is not acidic and has no wormholes. If there are any, they must be removed.
Product processing
How to cook dried cherries? The recipe for such a treat requires you to thoroughly process the berry, and only then dry it in the air or in the oven. To do this, the product is sorted out, removing garbage and unnecessary items, and then laid out in a colander and thoroughly washed. In this case, the cherries are first processed in hot water, and only then in cold.
After the berries become clean and lose garden dust, they are spread in a single layer on a terry towel and dried for about an hour and a half. This procedure is carried out only if you decide to wither the cherry along with the seeds. If you decide to use a different recipe, then just remove the seeds from the berries.
Sun-dried cherry: recipe, implemented in the oven
For the preparation of seedless dried cherries, we need the following components:
- freshly picked processed pitted cherries - 3 kg;
- small beet sugar - about 800 g;
- drinking water - about 1 liter.
Heat treatment process
How to cook dried cherries? The recipe for such a treat involves the use of a large pan. Water is poured into it, and then sugar is added. Both ingredients mix well and bring to a boil.
As soon as the syrup begins to boil, half the berries are laid out on it and boiled them for 8 minutes.
Oven drying process
Sun-dried cherries, the recipe of which we are considering, cooks pretty quickly. After the berry is boiled a little, it is taken out of the syrup and thrown into a colander. After waiting until all the excess liquid has drained from the cherry, it is distributed over a dry baking sheet (in 1 layer) and sent to the oven.
At a temperature of 130-140 degrees, the berry is dried for about 6-7 hours. At the same time, it is periodically turned over so that it evenly strolls from all sides.
How to use and where to store?
After the pitted cherries dry thoroughly, shrink in size and become wrinkled, they remove it from the pan and cool it on a wide bowl. Then it is laid out in a fabric bag and placed in a well-ventilated place. In this form, the berry can be stored for 3-5 months. By the way, some housewives keep her in the refrigerator.
If you decide to use dried cherries for making jam or some baking, then it is recommended to pre-soak it in a small amount of water. Thanks to the liquid, the berry will swell well.
Sun-dried cherry without oven: recipe
Now you know how the seedless cherries are dried in the oven. However, it should be noted that some cooks prefer to harvest such a product in an unpurified form. This is due to the fact that together with the seeds, the cherry is better preserved. In addition, such a product produces a very tasty and rich stewed fruit, as well as other desserts.
So, in order to realize the presented recipe for dried cherry with pits, it is necessary to prepare freshly picked berries. They are thoroughly washed and laid out on a dry towel. After all excess moisture leaves the product, proceed to its immediate drying.
How and where to dry the cherry?
About how to dry cherries at home, we described above. This is perhaps the most popular recipe. However, there are other ways to prepare this treat. The most effective is the one for the implementation of which a special dryer is used. All processed cherries are laid out in it and the drying mode is turned on. In this form, the berries are processed for several hours. At the same time, they should not be turned over. Due to the circulation of warm air, the cherry should evenly sag from all sides.
As soon as the product shrinks and significantly decreases in size, it is laid out in a separate bowl and completely cooled. After that, the cherry is placed in a fabric or gauze bag, and then left in a dry and dark room until use.
Why use?
Most often, dried cherry with pits is used to make compotes or preserves. Often it is used and just like that, along with tea (instead of sweets). As for the various desserts, you should not add berry with stones in them. Otherwise, later, during the use of homemade goodies, you will have to carefully extract them from it.
Is it possible to dry a berry without heat treatment?
Now you know how to make dried cherries in the dryer. The recipe for its preparation was presented to your attention a little higher. However, I would like to note that such a berry can also be dried without using heat treatment. How this is done, we will tell you right now.
Whole cherries or halves of berries are maximally deprived of all moisture (placed on a dry towel), and then spread on a large board or baking sheet, on which the cooking foil is placed in advance. It should be borne in mind that the berry will dry much faster if it is placed on a flat surface in one layer.
After the described actions, the cherries are left to dry in a dry and well-ventilated room (in a draft). If you live in an ecologically clean region, where hot weather predominates in summer, then the berry can also be dried in the open sun. However, you will have to carry out this process for quite some time. Cherry with pits or without them will become completely dried only after 2-4 weeks (depending on the weather).
By the way, if you decide to dry such a product in the open air, then it should be protected from rain and insects. To do this, cherry can be covered with gauze or, for example, mesh box. As for rain, berries can be saved with ordinary polyethylene.
It should be especially noted that this method of drying cherries, although the longest, is considered the most effective. Without heat treatment, berries are able to retain much more vitamins and antioxidants.