Prepare a Sour “candy” From Dried Fruits and Citric Acid
Last week I went on a short trip to check out the Mariani family’s packaging operations. Even if you have never heard the name Mariani, you have come across their products; they have an extensive line of dried fruits and related snacks, and are also responsible for the raisins in Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (and Raisin Bran Crunch). The excursion was fun and I was allowed to take home a bunch of dried fruits – some might say “too much”.
Luckily, chewing dried fruit, especially if it has been (legally) chemically altered, is enjoyable. It gives your mouth something to do. But dried fruits, especially sweetened dried fruits like Philippine mango and tropical pineapple , can get a little cloying after a while, so I grabbed a tub of citric acid and started dunking them.
As with Mariani, “citric acid” may be another name you’re not familiar with, although you’ve probably come across it. It’s found on the top of all your favorite sour candies, but is also used to enhance the tartness of citrus desserts and as a pH adjuster in commercial foods. It’s similar to MSG , a way to increase acidity without increasing the volume of liquid in the recipe, and it has an almost strong effect. Mix it with a little sugar and stick it on some dried fruit and you have a sour baby goat born from Mother Nature herself.
Be careful with citric acid.
Before you begin, try a little citric acid to fully appreciate its strength. I think you will find it effective. Even though you can eat warheads like candy, you should mix the sour powder with sugar. I mixed a 50/50 mixture of citric acid and regular table sugar and it still caused severe irritation. (It is a crystallized acid, after all.) Start with a ratio of two parts sugar to one part citric acid and adjust as needed.
There are two ways to make the powder stick. If your fruit is thick and chunky, like dried pineapple slices, you can cut the piece in half to expose the sticky inside, then dip the exposed part in the powder. If you’re working with something thin and flexible, like dried mango, you can briefly dip it in simple syrup (I used this one ), shake off the excess, and dip the wet part into the powder. You might be tempted to try coating the entire fruit in sour powder. Not. This will damage your tongue.
Recipe for sour fruit “sweets”
Ingredients:
- Sweetened dried fruit of your choice (I like pineapple and mango )
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon citric acid
- Optional: simple syrup.
Cut large fruits in half to expose their gooey interior, and cut larger pieces into manageable chunks or strips.
Mix sugar and acid in a small bowl. If you want a very fine powder, blend them in a food processor.
Pour the powder mixture onto a plate. If you are working with large pieces of fruit, dip the newly exposed sticky side into the powder. If you are working with thin, flexible strips, dip 1/3 of the strip in simple syrup, shake off as much excess as possible, then dip in powder. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container with wax paper between layers.