Word of Mouth: Macerate

macerate: v. To soften and infuse food (usually fruit) with flavor by steeping in liquid.

This is a technique we talk about more often in the summer, since berries are one of the most common ingredients to macerate...

Fruit compotes or pie fillings often call for macerating; the goal is to get soft, smushy fruit that's broken down a bit and released a little liquid.

While the official definition of macerate only mentions steeping fruit in liquid like a liqueur or simple syrup, we also think of stirring together fruit and granulated sugar, then letting it sit for a while, as macerating. The sugar draws out some of the moisture from the fruit, which then dissolves the sugar and creates a syrupy consistency.

A couple of recipes that call for macerating:
• Tart Lemon Tart
• Strawberry Shortcake

And the photo above is a recipe from Gourmet for fragrant, marinated summer fruit. The finished product isn't as soft as some macerated fruits, but the idea of infusing it with the flavor of the syrup is the same:
• Fruit in Lemon-Verbena Syrup, from Gourmet

Related: Word of Mouth: Chantilly Cream (It would be good on some macerated berries.)

(Image: Shelley Wiseman for Gourmet)

Comments (3)

i always toss with a little sugar and let the berries sit for like 30 minutes. so yum. unbelievably yum.

posted by kdkaboom on May 27th 2009 at 10:27am
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I'm a veterinarian, and you don't want me to elaborate on the connotations that word brings up for me-I really don't like it used for food!

However, it is a great technique-I used it only the other day to make David Lebowitz's Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt and it was delicious:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/04/may_day_market.html

posted by Sian on May 27th 2009 at 5:19pm
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I've made a very simple rhubarb tart a lot this spring where the key is maceration. I slice the rhubarb into thin rounds on the diagonal, toss with sugar and a scraped vanilla pod and let it sit for an hour or more (i.e. when we're making and eating dinner). Arrange the drained fruit on thawed puff pastry sheets, bake until the pastry is browned, then glaze with the reduced syrup from the maceration. It's fantastically good. I stole the idea from a similar rhubarb citrus tart in Gourmet a few months back.

posted by MayaOnFiya on May 28th 2009 at 11:21am
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