When your favourite fruit is in season, it might be tempting to stock up. Unfortunately, fresh fruit doesn’t last forever, and you’ll have to either eat it or find a way to preserve it. Most fruits can be easily dried or dehydrated and will last a long time. When using them in different recipes, they may need to be rehydrated (softened in water) or in some cases added as-is. There are several recipes that use dried fruit. Some are savoury and some are sweet.

 

Fruit cake

One of the more popular recipes that uses a sizeable amount of nuts and dried fruit is a seasonal favourite: fruitcake. It’s most popular during the holiday season due to its rich flavour and hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and even brandy.

Fruity bread

When adding nuts and dried fruit to any type of bread recipe, you’ll want to rehydrate them first. Once they’ve absorbed enough water, you need to dry them so they don’t soak into the bread dough. If you add nuts to cookies, you’ll only need to shorten the baking time by a fraction to keep the fruit moist and prevent it from becoming tough or chewy.

 

Spicy yet sweet

If you like your curry fruity, you can soak dried peaches or apricots in chicken stock or wine before adding them to the dish. Make sure you cut the fruit into large chunks so they are visible but not too big. Add your rehydrated fruit last and let it simmer with the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes before letting it rest before serving. The main ingredient in any good curry is time! Take your time and be patient. Don’t try to speed up the process. It’s really simple, but should be left to simmer for a longer period of time for best results.

 

Rehydrated fruit

If you want to rehydrate the dried fruit and add a little more sweetness, you should soak it in a suitable fruit juice. If you’re in a hurry, heat the juice before adding the fruit. This fruit absorbs hot liquids much faster than cold liquids. If you soak the fruit overnight, you should do so in a sealed container. Chopped or grated nuts shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to rehydrate.

 

Sweet treats

Nuts can also be added to breakfast cereals or yogurt. Consider how delicious and healthy granola and yogurt are! You can add dried fruit to home-made chocolate and also as a healthy snack between meals.

These are just a few excellent ways in which you can put dried fruit to great use. So, whether you buy fruit already dried or you dry your own, you can always add it to any one of these scrumptious recipes.