Easy Fruit Puree
Do people buy prepared fruit puree? If so, I hope this particular entry convinces them that with 2 ingredients and some water, these purchases are unnecessary. This quick stovetop version is infinitely convertible for whatever dish, drink, or baked good you’re looking to jazz up with something that is not quite jam, but satisfying enough to stay on a spoon. Of course, peak season produce will produce the most delicious puree, but a spoonful of not-quite in season decent-enough strawberry puree is certainly better than that radioactive substance you still sometimes see at ice cream parlors. This particular ratio is on the not-incredibly sweet side, so feel free to increase to the level of sweetness you fancy.
A note on using various fruits: This particular method works best for fruits that fall into the berry category but can be adapted for less soft produce with varying degrees of success. Feel free to experiment with various combinations or unlikely candidates. I’ve had surprising successes such as honeydew-kiwi (weird color, though) and disappointing fruit sludge (persimmon-cranberry, would not recommend.)
Easy Fruit Puree
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups Fruit Here we used strawberries for homemade matcha-strawberry boba tea lattes
- 1-2 Tbs Sugar
- 1 Splash Water If necessary
Instructions
- If using strawberries, quarter them for a chunky consistency, dice if the desired product is meant to be more viscous. If using raspberries, blueberries or blackberries, leaving them whole is perfectly fine as the heat combined with smooshing them during cooking will break them down to a semi-uniform texture. With these berries though, be prepared to pass the puree through a cheesecloth or mesh strainer if you and yours are adverse to picking seeds out of your teeth all day.
- Place Strawberries in a small pot, add desired amount of sugar, and turn heat on to medium low.
- Here’s the fun part. Using whatever implement you prefer (muddler, potato masher, well-scrubbed meat tenderizer?) gently sqoosh the mixture into something that resembles a sauce. This will get easier as the mixture heats and will feel satisfying playing search and destroy with unruly bits of strawberries. If the puree gets too warm and feels like it might be trying to scorch, add a splash of water and turn down the heat.
- I generally call it done when the color seems rich and the mixture will semi stay on a spoon. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference so pull it off the heat whenever you think it’s how you want it.