plum fruit leather

School is now in session. 

Whew.

If you knew what I've gone through to get here you'd understand my long silence. Influenced also by a crashed hard drive and end of summer woes. 

But we don't need to talk about the past. Let's look toward the future. A future of new experiences and all things fall, which can't be bad.

To celebrate fall I've begun a new kind of cooking.

In addition to cooking in the kitchen I've begun to make enamel jewelry. After thinking about it for over a year I finally had a private lesson at Liloveve with the talented Emilie Shapiro and I am now hooked. Expect to see more jewelry in future posts... and hopefully a new Etsy shop.

Another thing I've been wanting to do for a long time is make fruit leather. I figure now is the time since every parent is casting around their kitchen for something relatively healthy and low maintenance to throw into the lunch box. The perfect back-to-school snack.

Plum Fruit Leather

adapted from Natashia's Kitchen

Ingredients

• Plums
• Sugar (optional)

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 400. Please washed, halved and pitted plums skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes, you want to avoid burning them, so check on them.
2. Puree in food processor. Add sugar to taste or skip it. I tasted the plum puree and decided to go without sugar.
3. Line same rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour puree into baking sheet and smooth to level out, you want 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.
4. At this point we are just trying to dry the stuff out and not cook it, so if you have access to open air and sunshine, place it in sun for 2 days. If not, place it in an oven at lowest temp, no higher than 140F. Leave in center shelf for 6-8 hours. Leather is done when it is smooth to touch and not tacky.
5. Roll up in the parchment paper and cut into sections.