Christmas Fruit Leather

I *always* make my own cranberry sauce as I cannot abide the pre made 'jam' that passes as sauce that you get in a jar. When I found that I had more cranberries than I needed I had the thought of making a fruit leather (effectively a sheet of cooked fruit used as a long life foodstuff). I usually make plum leather in the autumn so I decided on adding four or five to the mix and thought a shot of cinnamon would be the perfect trinity (along with brown sugar).


I got a bit carried away...I added some orange zest and a little juice, some sultanas and some dried apricot...

And from thereon in it proceeded as normal with a slow simmer to cook and break down the fruit, and to reduce it. Once cooked I put it in a jam muslin and left it to gravity's capable hands... 

After the gloop was drained I poured it onto a sheet of parchment paper and spread it thinly and left it to its own (drying) devices. Incidentally, the remaining stodge in the muslin was good enough to eat! Once it was pliant and just a little sticky I cut it into strips and covered both sides with parchment paper. Merry Christmas!