Loading...
Apples are one of the most versatile and appreciated fruits in the world of professional pastry and baking. Its balanced flavor, its ability to combine with countless flavors, and its pleasant texture make it the undisputed star of countless pastry and culinary creations. However, working with fresh fruit in a professional setting presents greater challenges, which is why most professionals use apples in syrup to always have the ingredient ready when they need it.
In this post we’ll show you why apples in syrup are the secret ingredient of the best pastry chefs; we’ll show you how they’re made and what competitive advantages they gain by using this ingredient to surprise their customers. Stay with us, we’re sure you’ll be inspired.
Table of Contents
Apples in syrup: much more than preserved fruit
There’s often a misconception that canned fruit is an inferior substitute for fresh fruit, but this isn’t the case, especially when we’re talking about preserves aimed at professionals in the Horeca sector. Apples in syrup aren’t simply fruit stored in a jar; they’re the result of a meticulous process that stabilizes the product, enhances its flavor, and guarantees a perfect texture for applications where fresh fruit might oxidize or lose too much moisture.
For a pastry chef, apples in syrup offer a firm structure that withstands high baking temperatures without falling apart and maintains a flawless appearance in the final product. Let’s look at some aspects that professionals consider when choosing apples in syrup:
- Guaranteed consistency: Each package of apples in syrup contains exactly what it promises, with the desired consistency.
- Controlled texture: Ideal firmness for any type of dessert or dish.
- Intense flavor: the process concentrates and enhances natural aromas.
- Impeccable presentation: The final product has no oxidation or visual defects. We present it in the form of wedges ready for application on the base of cakes or pastries.
Production process
Let’s look at the basic steps for making apples in syrup:
- Step: Selection and origin of the fruit
The selection of apples is essential to achieving a quality product. They must be fruits with the best balance between natural sugar, acidity, and firmness, always at their perfect point of ripeness and harvested at the precise moment when they have reached their maximum flavor potential. - Step: Professional candying process
Each apple undergoes rigorous quality control:- Initial preparation: The apples are washed, peeled, and cored with great precision to minimize losses.
- Custom cut: The apples are cut into different shapes to meet the needs of the professional,usually in wedges, but also in halves, discs or cubes.
- Addition of syrup: the already cut apple is inserted in the can to which we add the syrup prepared with premium ingredients. Through osmosis, the fruit absorbs the sugars and releases the free water. The result is a firm, consistent texture with a balanced sweetness.
- Closure and pasteurization: Once the syrup is added, the can is sealed and pasteurized, all under the highest food safety standards, guaranteeing the commercial stability of the product and its shelf life for many months.
Main desserts that use apples in syrup
These are some of the desserts that professionals make with apples in syrup:
Classic cakes and pastries
Classic desserts like traditional apple tart, Tarte Tatin, and apple pie, among others, are transformed into masterpieces when using high-quality canned apples in syrup. With this ingredient, the baker ensures the fruit already has the necessary semi-soft texture and a base sweetness that facilitates quick and even caramelization. This reduces baking time and prevents the apple from remaining raw in the center. The perfect balance between texture and flavor will undoubtedly delight diners.
Puff pastry and signature pastries
As we know, moisture is the biggest enemy of croissants, Danish pastries, strudels, and sweet empanadas. However, thanks to its controlled water content, apples in syrup allow the puff pastry to rise perfectly, becoming crisp and golden, without the dreaded soft or dense areas that ruin the sensory experience.
Mousses, Bavarian creams and creams
Incorporating canned apple pieces into cold desserts ensures that the fruit fragments remain soft and appealing, even when frozen. This is because the sugar in the syrup lowers the freezing point, preventing the dreaded ice crystals that are unpleasant to the palate. For example, when adding canned apple cubes to an ice cream tart, the pieces will remain soft and chewy, offering a much more enjoyable sensory experience for the customer.
Decoration and glossy finishes
A slice of apple in syrup, strategically placed on top of a dessert, not only adds flavor but also a glossy, appetizing presentation that remains impeccable for hours, without oxidizing or turning brown over time in the display case. This would be impossible to achieve with fresh apples without adding gels or chemical antioxidants.
Ice creams and sorbets
Apples in syrup are perfect for creating swirls, also in ice cream bases or as a topping in modern presentations that provide great visual appeal.
Advantages of using apples in syrup
Operational efficiency
How many hours of work does it take to peel and cut kilos of fresh apples? Apples in syrup are ready to use at any time. Simply open the container, strain the liquid if necessary, and apply. This way, the professional can focus solely on what truly matters: creating and decorating.
Accurate cost calculation
Using fresh fruit results in losses of 20% to 30% due to peeling, cores, and defective pieces. Less product loss means less environmental impact and greater profitability for the business. With apples in syrup, 100% is usable, making it easier to accurately calculate profit margins.
Constant availability
Fresh apples are seasonal and variable, but apples in syrup can be used year-round with the same quality. This allows you to consistently make all kinds of desserts in any season.
Long service life
Stock management is vital in a Horeca establishment, and we all know that fresh fruit spoils in just a few days. Apples in syrup have a long shelf life (even up to 3 years), allowing professionals to always have stock available to meet unexpected demand spikes without having to throw the product away.
Why choose Lazaya’s apples in syrup?
At Lazaya, our long history in the preserved fruit market (over 80 years) speaks for itself. Professionals choose our products for their high quality and the enormous variety of formats and packaging that perfectly suit their needs.
For example, in the case of apples in syrup, we have them in multiple formats such as: in halves, discs, wedges or cubes, with or without sugar, in water, with different sizes and different brix levels, without colorings or preservatives, and can be stored at room temperature for up to 36 months. Suitable for celiacs and allergy sufferers.
All our products meet the most demanding food safety and traceability standards, so professionals can prepare their products with complete confidence. Explore our full catalog, and if you need to contact us to resolve any doubts, our team of experts is at your disposal. We’d love to find the perfect solution to take your creations to the next level. We look forward to hearing from you!
