Dried fruits are easy to make and great for the festive season

There’s been a lovely smell wafting through my flat all day. I’ve been drying citrus fruits for my future mocktail articles and now I can tell you how you can also make your fruits last longer. It’s pretty simple and you won’t need a dehydrator.

Preparation

I only use organic oranges, grapefruits and limes for the dried fruit because I keep the peel on them. And they’ll end up in the drink or I’ll eat them straight away.

I preheat the oven to 80 degrees. I wash and dry the fruit before cutting it into even slices about one centimetre thick. The fruit will shrink during the drying process, so the slices can’t be too narrow.

Into the oven

I spread the slices on the rack, put them on the middle shelf and turn on the fan oven. You can also dry the fruit on a baking tray, but it’ll take longer. To allow the moisture to escape, I stick a wooden ladle in the oven door. Now, it’s a waiting game. Two hours later I turn the fruit. After that, I check the oven every hour and turn the slices over again if necessary. After four hours, the first fruits are dry and have turned shiny, golden brown and almost transparent. I take the finished ones off the rack and push the rest back in. Juicy oranges take almost eight hours to completely dry out.

Storing and arranging

It’s best to keep the dried fruit in an air-tight container. A preserving jar is ideal for this. You want to make sure that no moisture forms in the container so you can prevent mould. To make sure that the slices are completely dry, I leave them on the rack in the oven overnight (switched off) and only put them in the jar the next day.

The orange, lemon and grapefruit slices brighten up the room but also release an intense aroma. As a garnish, they add a wintry touch to cocktails and are just as good as natural Christmas tree decorations. Dipped in dark chocolate, they turn into a simple, delicious dessert in no time at all. The sweet and sour flavour of the dried fruit contrasts beautifully with the chocolate.