Fruit purees are a versatile store cupboard essential for a wide range of hospitality operations.
From restaurants to bakeries, ice cream parlours to cocktail bars, good quality purees can enhance a wide range of applications.
Less prep, more puree
Prepping fruit can be labour-intensive and time-consuming, which is why many professionals opt for trusted, ready-to-use varieties.
They can be used as a topping, filling or flavouring for desserts, bakes, ice cream, smoothies and even cocktails – adding a pop of flavour and colour with zero fuss!
Fruit stack
So how do the different fruit flavours stack up in terms of popularity?
In the UK foodservice and bartending sectors, passionfruit, strawberry and mango lead the way as the most popular fruit puree flavours, driven heavily by iconic cocktail trends and British high street dessert preferences.
The Pornstar Martini – with passionfruit as its key ingredient – is the UK’s top-selling cocktail and drives demand, whilst strawberry can be found in everything from smoothies to cheesecakes, mousses and souffles.
Pineapple ranks highly due, in part, to its versatility in both sweet and savoury applications.
UK flavour rankings
- Passion fruit
- Strawberry
- Mango
- Raspberry
- Peach
- Pineapple
- Lemon
- Blackcurrant
French exchange
Caramanfruit is a global industry leader in the fruit purees and coulis sector. Formerly known as Leonce Blanc, this premium brand was founded in 2002 and changed its name last year to better reflect the company’s roots in the Rhone Valley region of France.
Each fruit variety – and there are a lot! – has its own unique recipe to take into account is natural sugar levels. The degree of pasteurization and the percentage of sugar added is altered accordingly, ensuring a consistent and intense, authentic flavour.
The purees are packaged in ambient 1kg pouches with screw caps for ease of use.
The range includes mandarin, pear, banana, lemon, apricot, lime, strawberry, mango, white peach, blood orange, pineapple, blackcurrant, passion fruit and lychee.
Smart storage
The Caramanfruit range is shelf-stable, so there’s no need to take up fridge space – just store them at room temperature until opened. They’re also freezer-friendly, making it easy to portion, store and use as needed.
Brix aware
Always check the packaging for the Brix test results to find out the exact sugar content in the puree. You can then scale down sugar weights in recipes where appropriate.
Whisk warning
Never add cold ambient puree straight from the fridge into warm gelatin or chocolate mixtures as it will cause local thermal shock, creating unwanted rubbery lumps or split mixtures. Bring the puree to room temperature first.
Recipe inspiration
Pineapple & passionfruit sorbet
1000g Caramanfruit passionfruit puree
1000g Caramanfruit pineapple puree
850g sugar
250g Rubicone Vegetal 70
25g Irca Svelto (emulsifier)
25g lemon juice
Method
Blend all of the ingredients together until everything is dissolved. Check your sugars to make sure they are within range 27-30%
Allow the mixture to rest for 20 minutes before putting it in the batch freezer.
Easy lemon tart
2 x Pidy sweet tartlet 28cm
250g Caramanfruit lemon fruit puree
250g caster sugar
500g double cream
8 eggs
Method
Boil the lemon puree, cream and sugar and leave to cool.
Once cooled, whisk the eggs into the lemon mix and pass through a fine sieve.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case.
Cook at 100°C until set.
Leave to cool before garnishing with fresh mint and raspberries.
