1 ½lbstrawberries, halved(1 & 1/2 pounds is about 4 ½ cups)
2/3cupsugar
Instructions
Purée strawberries and sugar in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heavy saucepan.
Place the saucepan with the puree inside over medium-high heat, and bring the purée to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally (more frequently toward end), until thick enough to mound slightly. The puree will have reduced to about 1 to 1 ¼ cups in about 45 minutes to 1 hour. It will also be darker in color.
Preheat oven to 200° F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick liner like a silpat.
Pour hot purée onto liner and spread thinly, and as evenly as possible with an offset spatula into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Dry the cooked purée in oven until it feels drier (it shouldn't stick to your fingers) but is still slightly tacky, about 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Cool on liner on a rack until completely dry, at least 3 hours and up to 24.
Place a sheet of parchment paper over leather, then peel fruit off liner and roll up in parchment. You can use a pizza wheel to easliy cut the roll up into 15 1-inch strips.
The fruit smash will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for 1 month, if you don’t eat it all before then.
Notes
Makes one large sheet (15x10) of leather, enough to share with several people. Nutrition analysis is for the whole batch.