Fruit coulis (fruit purée)

Contrary to what people usually think, coulis is not just a simple fruit purée with sugar. Of course, this is the general principle, but it's possible to make something much better and more refined. This recipe is for a strawberry coulis (see below for other fruits): how to make it, but also how freeze it.

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Last modified on: October 20^th 2012

Preparation	Start to finish
24 min.	24 min.

Preparation

Start to finish

24 min.

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #1

Wash fruit (except if using strawberries), and cut into small pieces if fruit are the size of apricots or larger.

Put in the goblet of a blender, add 1 pinch vitamin C, squeeze ½ lemon over, and add 4 tablespoons Sugar syrup or caster sugar.

Note: The smaller the pieces, the quicker and more efficient the blending.

Stage 2 - 3 min.

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #2

Blend until obtaining a very smooth purée.

Stage 3 - 1 min.

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #3

Pour preparation into a fine strainer and place over a bowl.

Stage 4 - 10 min.

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #4

Then, with a maryse or soft spatula, press on bottom of the strainer and give a movement from one side towards the other, to "press" the coulis into the bottom of the strainer.

Your goal is to force the coulis through the strainer, while keeping back any seeds and skins to make a very smooth coulis.

Stage 5

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #5

It's a rather long operation, but the result will be good as your efforts.

Stop when there is only a pile of skin and seeds left in the strainer. These you can throw away.

Stage 6 - 5 min.

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #6

Your coulis is now finished, you can use it as it is, for a sorbet for instance by mixing it with the same volume of syrup.

But you can also sweeten it (ideally in my view in 1/3 sugar to 2/3 coulis) and use it to go with an ice-cream, a cookie, a frozen nougat.

Stage 7

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #7

If you'd like to freeze your coulis, it's important to not freeze it in one large block, as this is inconvenient later: long to defroze, impossible to cut up or almost, etc...

Better to divide up the coulis into small packs of 200 g You can pour this amount into small freezer bags, seal and label them, then put to freeze.

Stage 8

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #8

Even more practical: make "ice-cubes" of coulis, by pouring it into moulds (silicon if possible, it is easier to remove from after freezing) and leaving overnight in the freezer.

Stage 9

Fruit coulis (fruit purée) : Photo of step #9

The following day, put the coulis-cubes in a big bag and return to the freezer (remember to weigh a coulis-cube, to know how how much you have when you want to use them).

Remarks

There is deliberately very little sugar, so that you can sweeten later to your taste, just before use.

This method (mixing, sifting, freezing) can be applied to most fruits. Small soft fruit: raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries, etc. (blackcurrants are a bit different) Medium sized: apricots, peaches, pears, kiwi, etc... And large ones: pineapple etc. It allows you to stock up during summer when fruit is abundant, and use it later, during the cold months.

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Your 4 comments or questions on this recipe

Have a glut of cherries, can I use cherries to make this coulis?
Posted by sarah july 11^th 2010 at 13:58 (n° 1)
Yes you can, if you use a blender remove kernels of cherries before, otherwise use a vegetable mill.
Posted by jh july 11^th 2010 at 15:02 (n° 2)
can you tell me a bit more about the backgrounds of it please
Posted by tiffy november 16^th 2011 at 12:20 (n° 3)
What do you mean by backgrounds?
Posted by jh november 17^th 2011 at 09:39 (n° 4)