Patterned Fruit Leather

I can't help but sneak a fruit leather from my boys every now and then. They are chewy, sweet and delicious. Since the organic version I buy only come five to a box (and are expensive) I find it hard to buy them on a consistent basis. So, through much trial and error, I learned to make them in my oven and have fun doing it!

The process is very simple - puree fruit, spread thin on a silicone mat and dehydrate. You can do these steps in many different ways but this is my take on it.

You will need the following:
- two sheet pans
- two silpats or silicone mats
- three cups unsweetened applesauce
- four to five fruit purées
- four to five squeeze bottles
- juice of one lemon
- honey
- parchment paper
- oven or food dehydrator of some kind
- clean kitchen scissors

These rolls make great gifts and great snacks for home or at a picnic. They travel very well so keep a few in your purse/bag for those unexpected snack cravings!!

Make Fruit Purees
Use as many different fruits as colors you want in your patterned fruit leather keeping in mind that the base of the leather is applesauce.

I used: strawberries, kiwi, peaches, blueberries, and wild black raspberries (that we picked as a family while hiking!). Once the blueberry and black raspberries were cooked down the color was so similar I couldn't tell the difference.

There are two basic ways to make fruit purée. You can cook it down and then blend it or you can just blend it without cooking first. Either way works fine. It's really personal preference.

Fruit Puree
1 c. Fresh or frozen fruit
1 1/2 t. Honey
1 t. Fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan over medium heat add fruit and honey and cook approximately five minutes stirring occasionally. One fruit is soft and has released some juices remove from heat. Using an immersion blender blend fruit to a smooth consistency. Add lemon juice and stir. Pour purée into a squeeze bottle and set aside until ready to use. Repeat with remaining fruits.

**The honey is not to add sweetness so do not substitute sugar. It is to make the leather more pliable once it has finished dehydrating.

**Strain any fruit purée that has unwanted seeds with a sieve. If the fruit is cooked and blended first straining seeds is very simple and quick. It takes much longer If you don't take these steps first.

Prepare Pans and Decorate
Turn two sheet pans upside down and place a silpat on each. Turning the pans upside down will make smoothing the applesauce much easier.

Using a spreading knife or spatula smooth 1 1/2 c. applesauce on each silpat to approximately 1/4 inch thick.

Using prepared purées squeeze out any pattern you want! This is a great activity for kids!

Dehydrate Fruit
The traditional and easiest way to make fruit leather is in a dehydrator, however, I do not own one, so.......this is the 'in the oven' method.

Once your purée is ready set your oven to the lowest setting. I used a corded meat thermometer to keep track of the oven temp. My oven has a 'warm' setting with the next setting being 200 degrees F. When I set my oven on 'warm' my thermometer read 230 degrees F so I couldn't trust my settings!!!

Most instructions for oven dehydrating will say to keep the temp around 140 degrees F but I have to keep mine at 160 to get the fruit to dry out properly. Every oven is different so you will have to struggle a bit to get it just right if you are trying this in your oven too.

I did not keep the oven door open and it worked fine. Many instructions call for keeping the door cracked open. Since it is summer you may also want to avoid 100 degree temps spilling out into your kitchen!!!

Once your fruit can easily peel from the silpat and is no longer sticky to the touch it is done! This took me approximately 12 hours.

Cut into strips using kitchen scissors and roll in strips of parchment paper. Tie with a piece of butcher string if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Eat your creations with a smile. They are delicious!

Overnight Pancakes with Lilac Infused Blueberry Syrup

Aside from the little purple flowers (and by that I mean weeds) that grow in the Midwest grass in the spring that my sister forced me to eat as a kid I have officially never eaten a flower. I see those beautiful little packages of edible flowers at the market and smirk to myself thinking....does anyone actually eat those? Or are they just a stylish way to impress??!!

Well, the lilacs are in full bloom on my property right now. They smell amazing and are, of course, gorgeous. I have pink and purple varieties with huge clusters of flowers. Since lilacs are edible (and I have never tried them) I decided to make a homemade blueberry syrup infused with the lilac blossoms to go with my overnight pancakes. Why not use what's already growing!

Let's go ahead and see if all the 'crazies' out there eating flowers are right!!!!

This syrup was inspired by the fact that I don't really like maple syrup on my pancakes. I might be the only person in the country but I just don't love it, what can I say? Anyway, I like anything fruited on them so I can actually taste the pancake itself instead of a mouthful of syrup. Seriously, have you ever just eaten a pancake plain? They are fantastic!

I call these 'overnight' pancakes because something magical happens when you soak the oats in milk and let them sit overnight before cooking the cakes. Once cooked the pancakes have a nice texture you just can't get from traditional pancakes. The grittiness of the whole wheat flour is also a nice compliment to the oats.

Overnight Oatmeal Pancakes
2 c. oats
2 c. milk or buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
4 t. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt

Preheat griddle (or my favorite - The Cuisinart Griddler) to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine oats and milk. Put in refrigerator the night before you plan to make pancakes.

In a small mixing bowl combine eggs, vanilla, and olive oil. Add soaked oats and stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add in wet ingredients and stir until mixture just comes together. Do not over mix.

Pour batter onto preheated griddle and cook on first side until bubbles start to form. Flip over and continue cooking until pancake is golden brown. Continue with remaining batter.

Keep pancakes warm by putting them in a baking dish covered with a clean dishcloth.

While pancakes are cooking start on the lilac infused syrup.

Lilac Infused Blueberry Syrup
1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 T. agave nectar
6-8 lilac blooms, washed and patted dry

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat cook blueberries, agave nectar and lilac blooms until liquid starts to thicken. Approximately 10-15 minutes. Remove lilac blooms and mash the blueberries with a potato masher. Strain with a fine sieve pushing down berries with a spoon to get all the juices out.

Pour sauce over pancakes topped with applesauce (or without). If you love maple syrup, can't live without it, and can't stray from the norm, drizzle a little on top of the lilac blueberry sauce. I won't tell anyone!

Sooooo, what's the verdict on the flower infused syrup on pancakes? It is actually nice. Maybe not my favorite thing in the world but there is a sophisticated tone - hinting on bitter tea, and a nice aroma that fills your nose while tasting a bitter blueberry.

It's probably a 'love it' or 'hate it' sort of thing. I am somewhere in the middle - if that's possible! :)

**I don't recommend eating the flowers with the pancakes. They are just a nice garnish! :)