The best and healthiest way to prolong summer and feel a little of it on a cloudy autumn or frosty morning is to enjoy fruit and berry delicacies prepared in advance during the summer. Candied apples can perfectly solve this problem. How to prepare a delicacy quickly, simply and tasty?
Features of preparing candied apples for the winter
They lie in the origin story.Since this culinary delicacy was created in hot countries where there are no severe frosts that can preserve the freshness of fruits at least until mid-winter, the peculiarities of its preparation are associated with the traditions of these countries.
- Firstly, don’t skimp on sugar for candied fruits. This is not a dietary dish, although it contains a lot of vitamins.
- Secondly, choose a high-quality starting product. Below are some recommendations for selection that will help solve this problem.
Finally, try different recipes and choose your own, which seems most tasty and bright.
Selection and preparation of apples
Among the huge number of apple varieties, it is advisable to choose fruits with dense pulp. This is due to the fact that fruits that are too juicy contain a large amount of liquid, which will take a lot of time to evaporate/dry/remove.
This will allow the housewife to save time and prepare more candied fruits in the same period.
The main question that worries most housewives is which apples to prefer - from the home garden or purchased from the store? Here comes a clear choice in favor of your own product. Fruits that are grown in the region where they are consumed usually have excellent taste characteristics. Their aroma is much stronger than imported fruits. Finally, you can always buy apples in the store, even in winter, and therefore there is no exclusivity in them.
You also need to choose fruits without visible external damage. It is better not to use bruised, dark, pierced or pecked fruits for these purposes.
As for ripeness, it is advisable to choose slightly unripe fruits. They contain more pectin, and they taste more pleasant, with a slight sourness. Combined with sugar, the taste will be simply amazing.
Recipes for candied apples at home
So, apples should be washed thoroughly.It is advisable to use a soft brush for this. With its help, even the invisible film of dust on the peel is wiped off. This is especially true if you still bought purchased fruits for candied fruits. They need to be washed more thoroughly, and not just under running water, but with soap. The point is that you need to get rid of the thin film of wax applied by the manufacturer to improve preservative properties and long-distance transportation.
After washing, fruits should be dried thoroughly with a paper towel. Now the apples are cored. The easiest way to work is with a special knife. It will allow you to make a neat cut, as a result of which the candied fruit slices will be even and straight. All that remains is to cut the apples into slices. The peel can be left or peeled - it's a matter of taste.
To make candied fruits beautiful and unusual in shape, it is better to cut them into shapes. For example, it is very easy to pre-cut an apple so that parts of the side segments are removed. When cutting such an apple, you will get a star. Another non-standard shape is a square, which is much easier to make.
It is required to prepare the composition:
- 700 ml water;
- 400 g sugar;
- ¼ tsp. citric acid (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice).
This amount is for 600 g of apples. Pour water into the container, add sugar and citric acid and put it on fire. After boiling, you need to boil the syrup for about 5 minutes. Now you should reduce the heat to a minimum and add the apple slices. Cook them over low heat for 5 minutes. Now the mass needs to be removed from the heat and cooled for about 3 hours. This procedure (cooking and cooling) needs to be done 3-4 more times. This will make the apple slices transparent and at the same time elastic.
At the end of the last stage of hardening, place the fruit in a colander and allow the syrup to drain. All that remains is dry candied apples lobules. This can be done at home; it will take several days to dry.
Quick recipe
Candied fruits can be prepared with less time. The quick recipe calls for a smaller form of candied fruit. Ideally, apples should be cut into small cubes. A thicker syrup is needed here:
- 1 liter of water;
- 1 cup of sugar.
For this amount take 1 kg of apples. In order for the syrup to be more fully saturated with apple flavor, you must first boil the apple skins in it and simmer over low heat for just a couple of minutes. Now the liquid is filtered and chopped fruit slices are poured into it. This mixture needs to be cooked for 5 minutes.
After this, the mass is removed from the heat and allowed to cool. It takes 5 hours. After this, the candied fruits are thrown onto a sieve, allowing the syrup to drain. Now they need to be dried. To do this, the candied pieces are laid out on parchment and placed in the oven, the door of which must be slightly opened to allow the moisture to evaporate. Each layer (layer of candied fruits) must be dried at a temperature of 50 degrees for an hour.
No cooking
Housewives and gardeners always try to reduce the time spent preparing their favorite dishes. The previous quick recipe allows you to do this. But many are looking for a recipe without boiling apples. So this cannot happen, because these will no longer be candied fruits. Candied fruits are just juicy fruits boiled in sugar syrup.
In the dryer
For this recipe you will need:
- 100 ml water;
- 500-600 g apples;
- 300 ml honey.
The recipe also requires an electric dryer. Each peeled apple should be cut into 6-8 pieces.To prepare the syrup, heat water to 40 degrees, and then dissolve honey in it. You should leave a small amount of it, it will come in handy later.
The apples are placed in an enamel pan, poured with syrup and mixed thoroughly so that the composition completely covers the fruit slices. This mass should be placed in a warm place for 12 hours so that the pieces of fruit are infused and saturated with juice.
After 12 hours, the slices are removed with a slotted spoon and placed in the dryer. Juice from the upper tiers should not wet the slices in the tiers below. The remaining honey should be dripped into the middle of each slice. They need to be dried for 12-16 hours at a temperature of 40 degrees.
From heavenly apples
These fruits are so small that there is no need to further divide and cut them; they are used whole. The recipe is as follows. Fruits are washed. After this, it is necessary to prick each apple frequently with a needle over the entire area. This will help the syrup to better soak them in the future. Now each fruit must be blanched, that is, dipped in hot water for a few seconds.
The syrup is prepared from the following ingredients:
- 1 kg sugar;
- 250 ml water.
This amount is for 1 kg of apples. Cook in syrup for 10 minutes over low heat, then remove from heat, cover with a towel and leave to infuse and cool for 6-8 hours. After this, the procedure is repeated one or two more times. You can add a couple of slices of lemon to the syrup to enhance the sour apple flavor.
All that remains is to dry this delicacy. The easiest way to do this is in the oven.
In the oven
The cooking recipe is almost the same. Only the method of drying the fruit slices changes. They must be dried for 15-20 minutes at a temperature of 150 degrees.The oven door should be slightly open so that the candied fruits turn out more elastic and not soggy.
Cinnamon
Candied fruits with spices are a real bliss for the olfactory and taste buds. Cinnamon goes especially well with apples, because this spice is traditionally added to many dishes and baked goods (strudel, charlotte).
You can use the classic recipe. In addition to it you will need:
- cinnamon - 1 tsp;
- sugar - 300 g;
- citric acid - 1 tsp.
These ingredients must be mixed. Sprinkle the prepared mixture onto the candied apples on a baking sheet before drying.
With cherry
Cherries add bitterness to candied fruits, so it is advisable to add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the classic recipe. The cherries are first carefully washed and the pits are removed. When cooking, it is advisable to add the cherries last, literally for 2 minutes. Otherwise, the classic recipe for making candied apples remains unchanged.
In orange syrup
Apples and oranges are a win-win combination that is very refreshing and invigorating. In fact, the recipe is no different from the usual one, except that instead of water you need to take orange juice. It is advisable to squeeze it out yourself rather than using a store-bought one. To enhance the orange flavor, add some fresh orange zest.
How to store candied fruits
The best place for storage is a glass jar, but in the absence of one, you can use a tin container. The main thing is that it is sealed as tightly as possible. Sweets that will be stored for a long time should not be exposed to sunlight. If you put parchment paper in layers of candied apples, storage will be better.
