need method to keep dry pear slice white?

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Everyone,

I don't care for the appearance of my oven-dried pear slices that I'm using for garnish. They turn brown, crinkle up and shrink.

Any tricks out there???

Thanks!

[Michael Laiskonis]

Brian, help us help you, by telling us exactly how you are making your chips- ripe or unripe, peeled or unpeeled, thickness, poaching or not, times, temperatures, etc. There are so many variables, and a few different ways to achieve nice results...

[Katherine]

I saw a recipe where they poached apple slices in a sugar syrup with lemon juice, before drying. In the photos they were very white.

Edited November 27, 2003 by Katherine (log)

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi,

Further to my post.....

Well, I'm after a nice dry pear chip with some shine if possible.

Using ripe Bartlet pears with the peel on, I sliced them thin, about 2 mm. Brushed them with simple syrup and started drying them between 2 sheet pans (to prevent excessive curling) in a low oven with the fan on high for about 5 hours. This left a nice shine but they were too brown looking as if I baked them in a hot oven. I tried another batch with a brush of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar, I will see how they turned out today when I go to work.

I have a hunch that the slices might need an initial blanch in syrup to destroy the enzymes responsible for oxidation, drying as usual after than.

Comments?

[tan319]

Make a simple syrup with 500 grams sugar,500 grams water.

Slice the pears paper thin.

Dip them in syrup, put on silpat in very low oven,no color.

all the best,

ted

[nightscotsman]

I saw a recipe where they poached apple slices in a sugar syrup with lemon juice, before drying. In the photos they were very white.

This is the method I would use. Since they are so thin you don't need to actually "poach" them very long. Just put them in the hot syrup off the heat for a minute and you should be fine. Worked great for apple slices we did a few weeks ago.

[PastryLady]

Make a simple syrup with 500 grams sugar,500 grams water.

Slice the pears paper thin.

Dip them in syrup, put on silpat in very low oven,no color.

From ted's post

This is what I do for the apple chips too. We put in the juice of 1/2 a lemon too to give the acidity (keeps the color white) as well. The oven temp is only about 150 F on convection and it usually takes about an hour on the silpat. My only trouble is that the edges sometimes curl up. I think this could be remedied by putting a silpat on top as well, but your time drying would be greatly increased. You will use the silpat side, which is a bit shiny for the presentation.