March 28, 2022

Macerating Your Fruit

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

Dear readers, this one is for all you fruit lovers.  Spring is here at long last and the markets are filled with all kinds of delectable friuits.  Yum!  I'm pretty serious when I buy fruit, trying my very best to choose the best ripe fruit, checking for the right color, the right hardness or softness, the good smell, no bruises, etc.  And still, sigh, sometimes, I end up with fruit that's totally 'meh'. 

Tasteless, lifeless fruit.  Why even sell such fruit, amirite!?  So disappointing!  😞   

At other times, I forget the fruit that I bought and stashed in the fridge for too long (I'm quite absent minded) and when I rediscover them they look sad, shriveled and resentful (my bad).  I have however discovered that there is a super simple fix for both these cases of fruit gone sad.  

A bit of sugar, a bit of time and the magic of maceration will turn your Plain Jane or neglected fruit into plump, juicy, flavor intensified fruity superstars!  It's time to Macerate your Fruit!

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

We chose to macerate plums today as the markets are full of them at this time of the year.  We have also used this trick of fruit maceration on blueberries, nectarines, raspberries, cantaloupe and strawberries.  

For the berries, the trick of maceration plumps up the fruit, seriously intensifying the flavor as well as drawing out fruit juices to mix with the sugar to form a lovely fruity syrup.  At your first bite you'll think, ahh, this is what strawberries/blueberries should taste like...a sweetened bite of lazy summer!  A dollop of macerated berries work a treat over cake, ice cream, pancakes, etc.

For the fruits like nectarines, peaches and plums the result of the trick of maceration reminds me of canned fruit, especially canned peaches, which I love.  The peachiness is intense and the texture is plump, smooth and silky.  All of that peachy goodness is floating in a fruity, sugar syrup which I always drink to the last drop.  I'm thinking that canned fruit = macerated fruit.

Next time I'm thinking to try macerating mandarin oranges, cuz I those are my second favorite canned fruit.  I could eat a couple cans of those in one go!  Just not so sure how to get the orange skin off??

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

Wash and let air dry until completely dry.  You don't absolutely have to but I do this so that the macerated fruit will last longer in the fridge.  Yumminess for more days!  If you're in a hurry and are gonna eat it all in one go you can skip this step.  Cut the fruit, removing stems and stones.

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

You can slice it any way you like.  We did cubes here so that our macerated plums could be served over some our homemade Passion Fruit ice cream!  You can also do halves or slices, whatever you like.

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

So simple really.  Wash, dry, slice and dice and then add some sugar, tossing to spread the sugar evenly.   The ratio of fruit to sugar should be 1 lb (450g) fruit to 2 1/2 tbsp sugar.  Then just cover fruit with cling film and leave overnight in the fridge.  

If you're daring and love an added edge you can add a drop or two of Grand Marnier liqueur (or whatever fruit enhancing liqueur you have on hand at the moment) for a more sophisticated taste.

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums

The next day you'll see the magic of maceration revealed.  The maceration softens the texture of the fruit as well as releasing its juice to mix with the sugar, creating a delicious fruit syrup that further soaks right back into the fruit.  

The taste of the fruit will be super enhanced to the point that if your fruit was 'meh' before it will now be 'yeah!'  For berries a couple of hours to an overnight soak is enough but for plums and peaches and such, it's actually better if you wait for a couple of days.

Serve your macerated fruit over cakes, pancakes or ice cream or just on its own (that's my favorite!)  Yeah, no more 'meh' fruit days, just macerate your fruit and it'll be better than good, it'll be super good!

Macerating, Fruit, macerated fruit, recipe, plums
Macerated Fruit Recipe
(4 servings)  Prep time: 5 min  Maceration time: 2 hrs to overnight

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb or approx 7 plums (or whatever fruit you like), 450g
  • 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • splash of Grand Marnier (optional)

Directions:

Wash fruit and let air dry with completely dry.  De-stone and cut to dice or slices.  Add in the sugar and gently toss until evenly distributed.  

Cover and keep in fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours.  Use a dry clean spoon to spoon out the desired amount of fruit and syrup.  Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.

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