USES: Dried fruits add flavor and sweetness as well as texture to pastries and baked goods. You can use dried fruits as is, or reconstitute them by soaking them in warm liquid—such as water, wine, fruit juice, or liqueur—until they are soft. (But reconstituted fruit is very different from fresh fruit, so don’t try to substitute it for fresh.) Dried fruit can also be simmered in a fruit compote, where it softens considerably.
FIND: Most dried fruits are available in the dried fruit section or produce department of supermarkets and specialty foods stores. Unsulphured dried fruits, such as apricots, are available at natural foods stores and some supermarkets. Dried unsweetened shredded coconut is available at specialty foods stores, natural foods stores, and some supermarkets. Sweetened flaked coconut is available in the baking aisle at most supermarkets. See Online and Mail-Order Sources, page 632, for other places to find dried fruits.
STORE: Keep airtight at room temperature for several months or refrigerate in a tightly sealed bag for up to a year.
fruits, frozen
WHAT: Frozen fruit is a convenient alternative to fresh fruit since it is cleaned, peeled, pitted, cut up, and ready to use. The fruit is harvested at its peak and quickly frozen, so it is ripe, nutritious, and economical; most are available year-round (although frozen cranberries may be difficult to find in the summer).
USES: Frozen berries, cherries, and cranberries are especially good for baked goods (such as pies and cobblers), cooked sauces and compotes, and smoothies and shakes. For some recipes, the fruit does not need to be thawed before using.
FIND: In the frozen foods aisle. When purchasing frozen fruit, feel the bag to check that the pieces of fruit are separate; if they are clumped together in one large piece, this is a sign that the fruit may have been thawed due to improper handling and then refrozen. Most recipes call for unsweetened frozen fruit, but some frozen fruit is sweetened and packaged in syrup, so check the packaging carefully. To freeze your own fresh fruit, wash, trim, peel, seed or pit, and chop larger fruits, like bananas, mangoes, peaches, and strawberries (other berries and cranberries can be frozen as is), then arrange the fruit in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. Enclose frozen fruit in resealable plastic freezer bags and keep frozen.
STORE: In resealable plastic freezer bags in the freezer for up to six months. Unopened packages of purchased frozen fruit can be kept in the freezer for six months.
gelatin
WHAT: A thickener and stabilizer derived from animal bones, cartilage, tendons, and other connective tissue (therefore, not suitable for consumption by vegetarians).
USES: Thickens desserts such as panna cotta, gelatin, mousse, pudding, parfait, and marshmallows. It does not impart any color, flavor, or smell. It must be soaked in a cool liquid (usually water) to soften, then stirred over low heat until completely dissolved before it is blended with other ingredients. Once the dessert is chilled, the gelatin becomes firm like jelly, and depending on the amount used, it will set the dessert to the desired consistency, from thickening to firming completely. Some ingredients, such as fresh figs, ginger, guava, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, and pineapple, contain an enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting; however, once cooked, they can be used.
FIND: Gelatin is sold as unflavored, unsweetened tiny granules in small packets; it’s available in the baking aisle of supermarkets. Agar, a thickener made from red algae, is a good vegetarian/vegan alternative that can be found in natural foods stores.
STORE: Gelatin keeps in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Dried agar can be stored for up to two years in an airtight container.
ginger
WHAT: Fresh ginger is a knobby root with bulbous offshoots and a spicy, sweet, pungent flavor. Dried ground ginger has a distinctive, strong flavor that is quite different than fresh ginger. Crystallized ginger is slightly chewy, candy-like pieces of ginger that have been cooked in sugar syrup and coated with sugar.
USES: Fresh ginger adds a clean and refreshing flavor to sorbets, ice creams, syrups, and sauces. Dried ground ginger is an essential ingredient in many desserts and baked goods, such as ginger cookies and gingerbread. Crystallized ginger adds spicy sweetness to cakes, scones, cookies, and ice cream. With its sparkly sugar coating, it also makes a pretty garnish.
FIND: Fresh ginger can be found in the produce section. It should be firm with smooth, tan, slightly shiny skin and a moist flesh with a fresh aroma. The skin needs to be peeled and, since fresh ginger has fibers that run down the length of the root, it should be thinly sliced crosswise or grated. Ground ginger is sold in the spice aisle. Crystallized ginger is available sliced, finely diced, and cubed at many supermarkets, natural foods stores, and Asian markets.
STORE: Fresh unpeeled ginger will keep at room temperature for up to three days, up to three weeks tightly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to six months. Dried ginger can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to six months. Crystallized ginger can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three months, in the refrigerator for up to six months, or in the freezer for up to a year.
honey
WHAT: There are hundreds of honeys available, ranging in taste and form from robustly flavored liquid honey to whipped honey. The flavor and color of honey depends on the type of flower from which the nectar is foraged. For instance, when bees forage for honey in a lavender patch or on the blossoms of orange trees, the honey can take on the subtle flavors of that flower.
USES: Honey is a natural sweetener that is used in many desserts and as a syrup for pastries, cornbread, and breakfast items such as pancakes and French toast. It lends its distinctive flavor to classic desserts and candies, such as baklava and nougat. Cakes and cookies made with honey stay moist longer than those made with sugar. And cookies made with honey are soft rather than crisp. Honey gives chocolate sauce a gooey, fudgy texture. Clover honey, the most widely used honey, imparts a traditional honey flavor, but orange blossom honey and lavender honey are two types of honey that are prized for their floral, perfumey flavors.
FIND: Clover and other honeys are available at the supermarket and at farmers’ markets. Varietal honeys are often available in specialty foods stores, or online (see Online and Mail-Order Sources on page 632).
STORE: Airtight at room temperature for up to a year. If honey crystallizes, the jar can be heated in a pan of warm water for 10 to 20 minutes to dissolve the crystals.
jams & preserves
WHAT: Jams and preserves are fruits cooked with sugar and sometimes pectin; preserves feature larger pieces of fruit.
USES: Jams and preserves add a sweet, concentrated fruit flavor to a variety of desserts. They can be used as filling for Italian crostatas, French jam tarts, crepes, doughnuts, and layered cakes. They are often swirled in breakfast pastries and cakes and used in cookies such as thumbprints, pinwheels, sandwich cookies, and rugelach. Apricot jam has a light amber color and is often used as a glaze for fruit tarts.
FIND: In the peanut butter section of the supermarket.
STORE: Most jams and preserves will keep for up to a year in the refrigerator.