Apricots are a favorite treat for many children. They are not only tasty, but also healthy. After all, they contain useful minerals and vitamin C, which is necessary for every growing organism. This fruit can be eaten not only in its pure form; modern mothers prepare aromatic dishes from them. It is worth giving several recipes for apricot puree for the winter.
Features of preparing apricot puree
Housewives who periodically prepare apricot and apple puree for the winter share several secrets:
- It is recommended to soak the fruit in water before cooking. So that the liquid only slightly covers them. This way they will soften faster and be easier to process.
- If the dish is being prepared for children who do not yet have teeth, then the fruit must first be peeled, and after cooking it should be processed in a blender.
- A winter “sunny” dessert does not require much sweetening, since apricot itself is a very sweet fruit. The maximum norm is 50 grams of sugar for every half kilogram of product.
- If you want to make the dish as healthy as possible, then standard sugar can be replaced with a sweetener or fructose. In this case, it will be rich, but will not harm your health and will contain a minimum amount of calories.
You can cook the puree on the stove over low heat or in a slow cooker by turning on the “Cooking” mode.
How to choose apricots?
It is recommended to use only ripe apricots for preparing this dish. In the store you should choose only those fruits that are slightly pressed when pressed with your hand. Hard fruits are difficult to process. In addition, they are not sweet enough, so winter puree from such apricots will taste sour.
It is recommended that the fruit be orange in color and that the peel does not have any spots or light areas. Its ripeness can also be judged by its characteristic aromatic smell.
Methods for making apricot puree at home
There are several recipes for making apricot dessert.
A simple recipe for the winter
You can prepare apricot puree in just a few simple steps:
- Each apricot should be rid of its crusts. This is quite simple to do - you need to divide each fruit into two equal parts and carefully remove the core from it.
- You need to transfer the fruits into a basin and fill them with cold water for at least 3 hours.
- Next, they need to be peeled and cooked over low heat. It only takes 15-20 minutes for them to go limp.
- All that remains is to gently mash it with a fork or mix with a blender, and then transfer it to storage containers. Our grandmothers used a sieve to prepare this dish.
Young mothers are thinking about how to prepare apricot puree for the winter. They plan to spoil the kids with this dessert. For older children and adults, you can sweeten the dish with granulated sugar to taste.
With apples
You can make applesauce and apricot puree in a similar way. It turns out tasty, healthy and nutritious. For preparation you need:
- Remove peels and cores from apples.
- Soak all fruits in cold water.
- Place apples and apricots into pans.
- Pour water over them, sweeten and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Now all that remains is to mash the future dessert with a fork or mix it with a blender.
Apple and apricot puree is ready for the winter. This dish is sure to please all household members and welcome guests at home..
Sugarless
You can make puree without sugar. Apricots are an already sweet fruit. If you want to improve its taste, then after cooking you can add honey or cinnamon to it. You can also use fructose or a sweetener instead of sugar.
This is due to the fact that this product is harmful to health and increases the calorie content of the dish several times.
In addition, the sugar-free preparation is still prepared so that in winter it can be used as a filling for aromatic pie or cheesecakes.
Storage
It is recommended to store apricot puree in an airtight container with a lid. For example, glass jars pre-treated with boiling water are excellent for this purpose.
It is advisable that they be in a dry and cool place, for example, in a refrigerator or in a cellar.
How long is it stored?
In an airtight container and appropriate conditions, the product can be stored for up to a year. However, once opened, it is recommended to consume it within 20 days.
Recipes for apricot puree for the winter should be in the knowledge bank of every housewife. This is a wonderful dessert that will please both children and adults.