soaking dried fruit

[aquilegia]

I've accidentally bought a whole load of dried fruit that needs soaking before you can eat it. I usually by the stuff you can eat straight away.

What do I have to do to prepare it so I can eat it? That is, if I can bear to eat dried apricots again!

(ate some on Saturday and spent the afternoon and most of Sunday in agony. What a waste of a weekend!)

[aquilegia]

[Svea]

commercially dried fruit uses some kind of additive (something sulphur or summat) that gives me the sh*ts! doesnt happen with home dried though, so must be that.

if you cant face eating the soaked fruit (apricots?) i have a lovely receipe for some yummy chutney using dried fruit.

svea

[aquilegia]

My sister has the same problem with dried fruit as you Svea - she has to get really expensive organic stuff.

Can you post the recipe for your chutney, please. Sounds good!

[NattyEm]

Apricots often contain yucky colourings too.  You have to read the packet carefully.

[Mrs Ava]

I often soak fruit before cooking cakes etc.  For raisins, currants and sultanas, I use warm tea, but then of course, they are going into a cake rather than being eaten!  You can put them in a pan with some water, or other liquid of choice  :P and very very slowely warm through.  Once the liquid is hot take the pan off the heat and let the fruit sit in the liquid until cold.  It will soak up the liquid and swell.

[Svea]

ok, i have a book here with 8 pages of receipes for dried fruit.
i ain't typing that!

aqui, Pm me your addy and i will send you photocopies.
well worth it, i promise!

the book is called 'sensational preserves', btw, by Hilaire Walden.
and sensational they are! :D

svea