Dried pumpkin in the oven
Description
The dish is prepared without unnecessary complications. Pumpkin pairs wonderfully with citrus fruits. Therefore, if you wish to give the dried pumpkin a subtle citrus flavor, you can add orange juice or grated orange zest to the syrup at the third stage. Lemon also works well for this purpose. If you prefer a spicier taste, you can add a few ground cloves to the syrup. The average moisture content of such dried pumpkin is about 22%. The finished dessert can now be served.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, you need to prepare the pumpkin. If it's large, cut it into several pieces. You can also use several small ones. Wash the pumpkin, dry it, and place it on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for an hour at 180 degrees.
- 2
Step 2
When the pumpkin has cooled, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Then cut it into slices about two centimeters thick. Place the slices on a dry baking sheet and sprinkle sugar on top. Put the baking sheet in the oven and leave the pumpkin overnight without turning on the heat.
- 3
Step 3
Now place the pumpkin pieces into a deep oven-safe container. Pour over them a syrup made from one cup of water and 200 grams of sugar. Stir well so that all the pieces are coated with the syrup. Put the container in the oven for 10 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius. After that, drain off all the syrup and dry the pumpkin in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius to let it slightly dry out after being soaked in the syrup.
- 4
Step 4
Then sprinkle the slices with cinnamon and dry them in the oven for another 6 hours at the lowest temperature (50-80 degrees). This is a lengthy process, but drying pumpkin in the oven can only be done this way. Once you've taken the slices out of the oven, lay them out on a flat surface so they don't touch each other. Leave them in this state for 3 days so they can reach the proper consistency. To speed up the process, the slices can be cut into smaller pieces.