LEATHERS & FRUIT ROLLS
APRICOT-CHERRY LEATHER
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 cup apricots
1/2 cup cherries
honey or sugar to taste
HOW TO PREPARE:
Puree apricots with a small amount of water.
Add cherries and sweetener; blend and pour
onto Paraflexx®, kitchen parchment paper,
or plastic wrap. Dehydrate at 135°F/57°C until
leathery.
JERKY
Western BBQ Jerky
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 lb. lean meat
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. brown sugar
¼ tsp. pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
HOW TO PREPARE:
Mix all ingredients except meat in shallow dish
or bowl. Stir well. Cut meat into 3/16 -inch-thick
pieces.
Place in marinade making sure meat is
covered. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12
hours. Place meat on dehydrator trays and dry
at 155˚F/68˚C until meat cracks, approx. 5-6
hours. Serves 1.
Leathers are an easy answer to the often heard request of "What is there to eat?"
Yogurt, leftover fruits or vegetables can be pureed, sweetened and spiced and
made into a nutritious, high-energy snack food. Spread the pureed, produce thinly
on Paraflexx® sheets or plastic wrap and dehydrate, transforming the liquid into a
chewy, quick-energy snack! Leathers are so simple to make!
Select ripe or slightly overripe (but not spoiling) produce that blends and tastes
well together. Strawberries and rhubarb, or bananas and pineapple make great
combinations. Wash, remove any blemishes, stems or pits and peel produce if
desired. Keep in mind produce skins are highly nutritious. Puree the produce in a
blender until it is smooth.
Pour 1 1/2 to 2 cups of puree or yogurt onto the Paraflexx® or plastic wrap covered
trays. Since the edges tend to dry more rapidly, the poured puree should be 1/8"
thick at the center and 1/4" thick at the edges. Place the prepared puree in the
dehydrator with the temperature set at 135º/57ºC. Average drying time for leathers is
4-6 hours. When the leather has dried, it will be a bit shiny and non-sticky to the touch.
Allow the leather to cool and peel it from the tray. Roll it into a tight cylindrical shape.
A piece of plastic wrap, measured to fit the length and width, is then tightly wrapped
around the leather.
You can use virtually any combination of
the following ingredients: soy, Worcestershire,
tomato or barbecue sauce; garlic, onion
or curry powder, seasoned salt or pepper.
Pick a lean cut of raw meat as free from fat
as possible; the higher the fat content, the
shorter the storage life of the jerky. The best
way to get uniform pieces is with a meat slicer,
but a sharp knife will do. When using a knife,
partially freezing raw meat will make slicing
easier. Slice the meat either with or across the
grain. Jerky cut with the grain will be chewy;
cut across the grain will be very tender but
more brittle. Cut into strips 1' wide, 3/18" thick
and as long as you want. Once sliced, cut off
all visible fat.
Dry at 155ºF/68ºC for approximately 4-6 hours,
occasionally blotting off any fat droplets that
appear on the surface. While drying, the
temperature will go up and down around the
set point - this is important to dry correctly.
Your meat will hit 160º if you use the 155º - set
point on the dial.
Always test jerky using a cooled piece.
Properly dried jerky, when bent, should crack
but not break.
Fish/Shellfish
% Fat
Catfish*
5.2
Cod
0.53
Croaker
2.5
Flounder
1.4
Greenland Turbot
3.5
Grouper
1.0
Haddock
0.5
Halibut
4.3
Lake Trout*
11.1
Mackerel*
9.9
Monkfish
1.5
Mullet*
6.0
Ocean Perch
1.4
Pollock
1.3
Rainbow Trout*
6.8
Rockfish
0.2
Salmon*
9.3
Sea Bass
1.6
Sea Herring
2.8
Sea Trout
3.8
Shark*
5.2
Shrimp
1.6
Smelt
2.0
Snapper
1.1
Sole
1.4
Tuna*
5.1
Whitefish*
7.2
Whiting
1.3
Yellow Perch
1.1
PB