Q: In order to offer a consistent range of fruit-based desserts to our students during the winter months, we have been trying canned stone fruits like peaches and apricots to make old-fashioned baked crisps that we can serve from hotel pans. Do you have any tips for eliminating some of the extra juice and keeping flavor?

A. Dear Issac:

Here are a couple of important points to consider when using preserved fruit.

First, preserved stone fruits typically have more moisture than fresh fruit as they are packed in juice or syrup. I have found that allowing the fruit to drain for at least 30 minutes either in a perforated 200 hotel pan set over a standard 400 pan is very effective. Each 200 perforated pan will hold two #10 cans for draining. If you are making larger quantities, go up one notch to 400 perf. pans with a 600 below.

If you are working with more than two #10 cans, stir occasionally while draining to eliminate as much moisture as possible. Save the recovered juice or syrup for another use. If you don’t have perforated hotel pans, you can also try another trick by using your centrifugal lettuce dryer to spin the moisture out of the fruit. A domestic lettuce dryer will hold a #10 can easily. The larger Ditto driers will hold up to six cans at a time.

I’ve also found it helpful to experiment with using different quantities and types of starches as thickening agents. Depending upon which fruit is being used, I have had success with AP flour, pastry or cake flour, arrowroot or in more delicate preparations, simple cornstarch. Finally, there may also be extra juice if the dessert is not allowed to bake completely. Once the tops are browned and the filling is bubbling, try turning the heat down 25 degrees and cooking the crisps about 20 minutes longer.

To maintain the sweetly tart flavor of stone fruits, it is helpful to return some of the sweetness lost when eliminating the syrup or juice. You may do this by adding another sweetener such as brown sugar or sugar. Also, add a slight amount of acidity, such as lemon juice, to any recipe using delicately flavored fruit such as apricots or pears or peaches. The acidity and added sweetness will bring out the perfume of the fruit. Do not over sweeten or over acidify.

Also, be mindful of the dessert’s temperature when being served. If the dish is meant to be served warm or at room temperature, it will not have to be as sweet as if it is meant to be served cold. The flavor profile will be less pronounced and the sweetness will be less apparent if the dish is cold.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have the time, please write back and let me know how it goes. Meanwhile, I invite you to visit our recipe section here on the CCPB website where you will find several recipes that may interest you.

Gary Jenanyan