CHAPTER 15: FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS Flashcards
Fruit is nature’s ______.
sweet
Fruit is the centerpiece of what?
Many traditional desserts such as fruits pies and tarts, poached pears, and apple strudel, and it compliments many plated desserts.
Fruit is an important source of what in the bakeshop?
Flavor, color, and texture.
Are fruit and fruit products today different from those found in bakeshops as little as 30 years ago? Explain.
Today, there is widespread use of frozen fruit purees, and flavors once considered exotic, such as many and kiwi, are almost as common as strawberry and apple. New fruit varieties are continually being bred, such as boysenberries and the Marion blackberry, and new ones being popularized, such as sweet meyer lemon and the nashi or Asian pear.
How is fruit purchased?
Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. They can be whole, sliced, or pureed, packed in water or sugar, sold as jam or as a prepared pie or bakery filling.
What is a cultivar?
An organism and especially one of an agricultural or horticultural variety or strain originating and persistent under cultivation.
Why is more fresh fruit available year round?
As early- and late-ripened cultivars of fruits are developed, and as more fruit from the Southern Hemisphere is exported to North America during the winter.
Ideally, fruit used in the bakeshop should be what?
Fresh and fully ripe.
How are new fruit varieties becoming more improved?
They often have improvements in flavor, texture, appearance, and size, providing a benefit to the consumer. Other times, improvements are in disease resistance, yield per acre, and other benefits to the farmer.
How are new varieties of fruit developed?
One technique used for years is plant breeding. First step is selecting two different plants with desirable traits. By transferring pollen from one plant to another, the breeder hopes to produce seeds with best attributes of both.
What is the only way to determine if cross-pollination worked?
Plants the seeds and grow them. It’s time consuming, expensive, hit-or-miss process but most fruits are bred in this manner.
To get an idea of the size of such an undertaking (cross-pollination), what should you consider?
University of California Strawberry Breeding Program grow around 10,000 seedlings in a nursery by crossbreeding parent plants. Each plant is evaluated for vigor, fruit quality, and yield, and about 200-300 are chosen and allowed to propagate and be planted in outdoor fields. Each outdoor plant is further evaluated before one or more is selected for widespread planting.
Why does the State of California rely on these traditional plant breeding techniques to develop new strawberry cultivars? So much time and money go into it.
Over 80% of the strawberries consumed in North America are grown in CA, making strawberries a multibillion dollar business for the state.
What’s wrong with fresh blueberries purchased in the middle of winter?
They have poor color, flavor, and are prohibitively expensive.
Most common fruits, such as strawberries and apples, are available year round, but certain specialty fruits, such as _____ and _____, are available only certain months of the year.
lychee, pomegranate
Why is purchasing fresh fruit in season no guarantee of quality?
Fruit is highly perishable, and poorly stored fruit will lose their value relatively quickly.
Fruit is a natural agricultural product, and its quality varies throughout the _____ and from one _____ to the next.
season, region
Why does fruit also vary from one year to the next? Explain.
Partly because climate conditions change from year to year. Depending on the amount of sun and rainfall and length of the growing season, fruit can be weak-tasting and poor in color, or it can be sweet, vibrant, and bursting with flavor.
Can different varieties of fruit vary widely in quality?
Yes
What benefits do frozen and canned fruit have over fresh?
Available year round, less perishable, consistency.
When fruit is out of season, ______ fruit often has better quality than fresh, and it can be less expensive.
processed
Why is out-of-season fruit so expensive and lacking in quality?
It often must be shipped long distances, often from South and Central America, Australia, and New Zealand. The cost of shipping is high, and its toll on quality even greater.
Even when fresh fruit is in season, reasonably priced, and high in quality, processed fruits have a place in many bake shops. Explain.
Frozen puree need only be thawed and canned apples opened before use, with little manpower and no waste.
Do the US and Canada have national programs for grading the quality of fruit grown and sold in their countries?
Yes
Is the grading program of fruit run by the USDA voluntary?
Yes, but fruit that is not graded in the US isn’t necessarily lower in quality; it could simply mean that the manufacturer chose not to take part in the USDA grading program.
Does each type of fruit have different standards to meet the grade?
Yes, but the standards for all fruits are based on several common characteristics, including size, shape, color, and the amount of damage and decay allowed.
How is frozen fruit sold?
Whole, sliced, diced, and pureed.
How is straight-pack frozen fruit sold?
With the fruit placed directly into a pail or box, then frozen solid.
Why does straight-pack fruit often lose its piece integrity?
Because the freezing process happens very slowly. However, where piece integrity isn’t important, straight-pack fruit quality can be quite acceptable.
Disadvantage to straight-pack fruit?
The whole pail or box must be thawed before use.
What is IQF?
Individually Quick Frozen
IQF fruit consists of what?
Whole fruit or fruit pieces that are quickly frozen and then packed into pails, boxes, or bags.
As long as IQF fruit is not thawed and refrozen, the fruit pieces remain ______.
separated
What is more expensive, IQF or straight-pack fruit?
IQF
What is the advantage of IQF over straight-pack?
As much or as little fruit can be used without thawing the whole container.
The faster freezing of IQF fruit means what?
Smaller ice crystals form, and this often means less damage to fruit integrity than with straight-pack fruit.
Should you expect the same quality from IQF as peak quality fresh fruit? Why?
No, even when frozen quickly, fruit shrivels and exudes liquid.
Certain fruits, such as ____ _______ and _______, freeze well, while other, like _______ and _______ become unacceptably mushy.
apple slices, cranberries
strawberries, raspberries
Does IQF fruit of lose flavor after extended freezing time?
Yes
For best color and flavor in frozen fruit, what should you consider?
Using sugar- or syrup-packed fruit.
Sugar- or syrup-packed fruit has a certain amount of what added before freezing?
Glucose corn syrup or granulated sugar.
Sugar-packed frozen fruits typically come as what? What does this refer to?
4 +1, 5 + 1, or 7+ 1 packed. The number refers to the ratio of fruit to sugar. 4 + 1 strawberries consist of 4 parts strawberries and 1 parts sugar, or 4/5 = 80% fruit and 1/5 = 20% sugar.
What does the added sugar do for frozen fruits?
Prevents browning of the fruit. It also minimizes changes in flavor and texture of frozen fruits, so sugar-packed frozen fruit often has a better quality than straight-pack or IQF fruit, often at a lower cost.
Before adding IQF fruit, such as blueberries, to muffin or coffee cake batter, what should you do? Why?
Coat the fruit with a light dusting of flour. This will make the juice from the thawing fruit less likely to mix with the batter and discolor it. Or, layer the fruit on top of the batter instead of mixing it in. During baking, as the fruit sinks, it will do so with a minimum amount of bleeding.
After thawing sugar- or syrup-packed fruit, thoroughly blend the ______ with the fruit before use, and account for the amount of ______ in your formula.
sugar, sugar
Since 4 + 1 strawberries are 80% strawberries and 20% sugar, how would you adjust a formula?
By dividing the weight of strawberries by .80 to determine the weight of 4 + 1 strawberries to use. Reduce the amount of sugar by the difference between the two. For example, for 1 pound (16oz) of strawberries, use 16/.80 or 20 ounces of 4 + 1 strawberries and reduce the amount of sugar by 4 ounces. Note the math is similar to that used when converting between shortening and butter or between granulated sugar and syrup.
Why is syrup- or sugar-packed fruit less convenient than IQF?
Because if must be thawed completely, like straight-packed fruit, before use. IQF does not.
Frozen fruit purees are most commonly used in what?
Sauces, sorbets, Bavarian creams, mousses, and ice creams.
Many pastry chefs consider frozen fruit purees a ______ in the bakeshop.
staple
How are fruit purees made? What is usually in them?
By straining and pureeing cleaned fruit, then heating to pasteurize and to deactivate enzymes. Some have added sugar, and pectin or other thickeners may be added to control consistency.
Even single-strength purees are concentrated sources of fruit flavor, but some brands have water removed so that ___ measure of puree equals ___ or more measures of fresh fruit.
1, 2
Do fruit purees come in a wide variety of flavor?
Yes, with or without seeds.
How some fruit purees harder to manufacture than others? Examples.
Yes, raspberry and cherry can be of excellent quality while others, such as kiwi, are more difficult to heat-process without a loss in flavor and color.
Should you use fresh puree before deciding if frozen is up to your standards?
Yes
Are frozen fruit purees ready-made sauces and coulis? Explain.
No, and before using directly on a plated dessert, taste the puree. Chances are it’s too sour and strong tasting, even if sugar is listed in the ingredients.
What should you expect from canned fruit, fruit fillings, and jams versus fresh fruit?
Less fresh flavor and often a softer texture from canned, fillings and jams.
Canned fruits are purchased several ways. What are they?
Varying primarily in the amount of sugar and water added. There’s solid pack canned fruit (no water added), heavy pack (has a small amount of water or juice), and water pack (has water added).
Besides the “water” versions, canned fruit comes with added sugar or another sweetener. If one of these sweeteners is added, it is called what?
A syrup pack. Depending on the amount of sweetener, the syrup is considered light, medium, heavy, or extra heavy. Do not confuse a heavy pack with a heavy syrup pack. One is heavy in fruit, the other is heavy in sweetener.
Generally, the more sweetener added, the _____ the fruit and often the better _____ and ______. This is also true when fresh fruit is cooked in the bakeshop, as when preparing poached pears.
firmer, color, flavor.
Canned fruits are ____-__-___ products. Convenient for what?
ready-to-use, fruit pies, Danish, and other baked goods.
Do canned fruits vary widely in quality?
Yes, so try many before deciding which suits your needs and budget.
Do all canned fruits include additives?
No, but some might to improve color, flavor, and consistency, and to minimize microbial growth.
What is often added to firm of fruits in canned goods?
Calcium salts, like calcium lactate or calcium chloride.
What thickeners are often added to canned fruit for thickness and to improve performance during baking?
Starches and pectin.
What exactly do thickeners (added to canned fruits) do for baked goods?
So-called oven-stable fillings contain thickeners that reduce the tendency of fillings to thin out and run into pastry dough. This prevents the dough from becoming soggy and discolored.
To preserve the texture and often flavor and color of cooked fruits, it is better to ____ them in sugar syrup than in ______.
poach, water
Some poaching syrups are very dilute, some are very heavy. Explain.
Some are as low as one part sugar to five or more parts water (or wine); others are much more concentrated, having more than one part sugar to one part water.
How do you determine the strength of your poaching liquid? Explain in detail (long answer).
Consider the following: when fruit is gently poached in syrup, sugar and water freely diffuse, or move, in and out of the fruit. This diffusion continues until the amount of sugar and water in syrup is the same as the amount in the fruit.
What happens if the sugar syrup had more sugar than the fruit?
water diffuses out of the fruit to dilute the syrup. As this happens, fruit shrinks in size and often appears to have a vibrant, more appealing color (even as color diffuses out of the fruit). At the same time, sugar diffuses from the syrup into the fruit, sweetening the fruit and firming the pectin that holds it together. The more sugar in the syrup, the sweeter and firmer the fruit becomes but also the more it shrinks.
What happens if the sugar syrup contains less sugar than the fruit?
The opposite happens. Water diffuses into the fruit and sugar diffuses out. Often, enough water moves in so that the fruit gains weight and plumps appealingly.
What happens if fruit is poached in water?
Large amounts of the water move in. The force of the water disintegrates the fruit, reducing it to much. While this makes water a poor cooking medium for whole or sliced fruit, it is an effective means of hastening the preparation of fruit purees and apple sauce.
Each fruit is different, but often a good poaching liquid for sweetening and firming fruit contains what?
Two parts liquid to one part sugar. This allows some sweetening and firming of the fruit with excessive shrinkage.
To further assure firm poached fruit, what should be done?
Patch gently without boiling, and add a small amount of lemon juice to the poaching liquid. Acid from the lemon juice firms the pectin that holds the fruit cells together. Lemon juice also prevents browning and adds flavor.
When would artificial color be added to canned fruits?
When fruits discolor easily, like cherries.
What mold inhibitor is added to canned fruits?
Sodium benzoate.
What browning inhibitor is added to canned fruits?
Critic acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sulfites.
Why are mold inhibitors not necessary in the canning process?
Because mold will not grow in properly processed canned foods. Instead, the mold inhibitor delays microbial growth in opened cans.
Are some fruit products packed into flexible pouches instead of cans? What does this usually indicate?
Yes, and it usually indicates that a product has been aseptically processed.
What is aseptic processing?
A means of heating, cooling, and packaging foods in a sterile environment.
Like canned foods, unopened packages of aseptically processed foods can be stored at ______ _________ without risk of microbial growth.
room temperature
Once opened, what must you do with aseptically processed goods?
Refrigerate
Why was fruit originally dried?
To preserve it.
Why are dried fruits used today?
Their distinctive color, flavor, and texture.
The most common dried fruits.
Raisins, but dried figs, dates, apricots, apples, and plums are also popular.
In recent years, what other dried fruits have been available for use?
Cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries.
Are some dried fruits sold as paste?
Yes
Most popular paste.
Fig paste, for use in products like fig bars.
What paste is sold as a fat replacer?
Dried plum paste.
Can any grape be dried into raisins?
Yes
Most raisins are dried from what? Where are they from?
Thompson Seedless grapes, grown in hot Central Valley of California.
How are the Central Valley grapes dried?
After they are harvested in late August, the grapes are laid out in rows in the sun for several weeks, to darken and dry before being cleaned and packed.
Raisins and raisin products contribute what to baked goods?
Flavor, color, and sweetness.
Why do raisin products extend shelf life of baked goods?
They are hygroscopic and keep baked goods moist.
What do raisin products contain that helps prevent microbial growth?
Small amounts of antimicrobial agents.
How are golden raisins made?
They are Thompson Seedless grapes that are tunnel-dried, rather than sun-dried, under carefully controlled conditions. Sulfur dioxide (or another source of sulfur, such as sulfites) is applied to the grapes, to bleach their natural pigments and to prevent darkening during drying.
Describe the flavor of golden raisins.
Milder raisin flavor with a slight bitter aftertaste from the sulfur dioxide.
