Food Storage As Convenience Food



How do you think of your food storage? 

Over time, the way I have thought of my food storage has evolved.  In the beginning, when I was building my food storage, it never entered my mind that I should rotate it.  In my mind it was an insurance policy for the future and not to be used until the time of need actually came.  I remember purchasing 100 lbs. of powdered milk and sealing it up in 5 gallon plastic buckets feeling very comfortable that it would provide for me and my family if we needed it.  Fortunately, no major time of need came.  However, at the end of the 20 years I realized that the milk along with many of the other items I had stored for so long had lost their nutritive value and in essence had been wasted.  This filled me with guilt.

I began to realize that if I was going to have food storage it needed to be rotated and managed.  At that point, I began to learn how to use my food storage in the everyday meals that I made for my family.  At that point, I learned to purchase only the items I would actually use.  I also learned how to manage the items so that they would be used before they reached their expiration date.  I wasn’t always successful, but I greatly decreased the food that was wasted.

When freeze-dried foods became available, I found that they were not only good for long term food storage, but that they were also great for convenience foods.  Freeze-dried foods with their vivid taste and aroma are very desirable.  They can easily be substituted in your own recipes without loss of taste, aroma, nutrition, texture or color.  The fact that they are fast and easy to rehydrate and require no slicing or chopping speeds up the cooking process.  They make the task of rotating all of my food storage easier and more convenient.  I find that they are great time savers, giving me more time to spend with my family.   I stock my pantry with the following items to use as convenience food:

1. Freeze-dried meats
2.      Freeze-dried cheese
3.      Freeze-dried onions
4.      Freeze-dried celery
5.      Freeze-dried mushrooms
6.      Freeze-dried spinach
7.      Freeze-dried strawberries

 A large variety of freeze-dried foods are available, making it easy to find the items you use most often.

Why I find using freeze-dried foods convenient.

1. Fast and easy to use.
2. Easy to use in my own recipes
3. Always available, even when the fresh item is out of season
4. Have vivid delicious tastes and aromas
5. Allow me to use only the amount I need (no waste)
6. They are always in my pantry ready to be used even if I haven’t had time to shop for fresh items
7. Long shelf life
8. They make great healthy snacks for children just as they are
9. My family loves them  

I enjoy cooking meals from scratch.  I find that freeze-dried foods used in combination with my regular food storage items make it possible to make a large variety of very desirable meals that my family loves.  This makes it easy to continually rotate my food storage and prevent waste.  If you don’t enjoy cooking or don’t have the time to cook from scratch, freeze-dried foods can be a great convenience food for you.  You will be surprised at the amount of time you can save by using them.  They can make it possible for you to actually keep and rotate a viable food storage for your family. 

If you are interested in more information about freeze-dried foods or would like to purchase freeze-dried foods, please click the link below to go to my Shelf Reliance website.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Nikuman (Steamed Buns) Made Quick and Easy From Food Storage Ingredients

I love to visit Japan.  When I am there, everything is an adventure.  Communicating, navigating an unfamiliar environment, experiencing a new culture and especially tasting new and delicious foods are great fun for me.  The first time I visited Japan, my mother-in-law worried about what Japanese food I would enjoy eating.  She went to the store and brought back a little box filled with nikuman.  You may have seen them if you have ever visited a dim sum restaurant.  They are steamed buns usually filled with meat, sweet beans or custard.  Variations of them are found all over Asia.  Needless to say, I fell in love with the taste of the little buns and they are a treat I search out on all of my visits to Japan.

Nikuman are a little hard to find in the U.S.  Therefore, over the years I have always been keeping an eye out for a place to purchase them.  Many years ago, I experimented with recipes to make nikuman.  However, making them seemed to take more time than I had to spend in the kitchen.  Since I have been associated with Shelf Reliance Thrive Foods, I have been experimenting and have found a delicious and time saving method to make them out of my food storage ingredients.  They are versatile and can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. They are great for lunch or a quick snack.  Try packing them in a lunchbox.  Make up a batch and freeze the leftovers for use in the future.   The following recipes using food storage ingredients make it possible to cut the preparation time by a significant amount without taking away from the taste.

First, I will give the recipe for the bread part of the Nikuman.  I adapted this recipe from one given for Nikuman (Baozi) taken from http://norecipes.com.  All of the ingredients with the exception of cake flour are normally found in most pantries.  All-purpose flour can be used but the result is a little bit heavier bread.

Nikuman or Steamed Buns

Ingredients

18 oz. cake flour  (all purpose is ok but finished product is heavier, also use a little less)

3.5 oz sugar

2 tsp. yeast

1.5 tsp. baking powder

2 T. vegetable oil

1 C. water, luke warm

Instructions

1. Mix sugar, yeast, oil and luke warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly or frothy.  Add cake flour and baking powder, then turn on stand mixer. Mix for at least 5 minutes.  Dough should pull away from the bowl and form a ball.

2. Place ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover.  Place in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour.

3. Punch down the dough and roll it into a log.  Cut the log into 16 even pieces and form each piece into a ball.  Cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll out each piece of dough until it is thin and round.  Spoon about 2 T. filling onto the center of the dough.  Pleat the edges together, bringing them together to close the opening.  Squeeze the dough together closing the hole in the bun.  Place bun on 3” x 3” piece of parchment or waxed paper.

5. Steam in steamer for 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve.

Now for the fillings, the first is savory and the second for your sweet tooth.

Chicken Filling for Steamed Buns

Note:  This Filling also makes wonderful lettuce wraps.

Ingredients

1 T. oil

1 ½ C. freeze-dried chopped chicken

2/3 C freeze-dried mushrooms, rehydrated and minced

3 T. freeze-dried onion, rehydrated

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 C. water chestnuts, minced

4 T. soy sauce

4 T. brown sugar

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

3 tsp. water

1 tsp. cornstarch

Instructions

1. Rehydrate chicken, mushrooms and onions in water for 10 minutes and drain well.

2. Add oil to frying pan and stir-fry chicken, mushrooms, onions and garlic until warmed through.

3. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, water and cornstarch toge3ther and add to chicken mixture in the frying pan.  Heat until sauce thickens.

Pastry Cream From Food Storage

This may not be quite as rich as regular pastry cream, but it is delicious, quick and easy. 

4 T. instant milk powder

2 C. water

¼ C. white sugar

2 T. whole egg powder

4 T. water

¼ C. cornstarch

1/3 C. sugar

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the instant milk powder, C. water and ¼ C. sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together whole egg powder, remaining 1/3 C. sugar and cornstarch.  Wisk in 4 T. water until all are mixed well. 

3. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, slowly drizzle small spoonfuls into the egg mixture while whisking.  Be sure to whisk constantly to prevent the egg from curdling and be careful not to scorch the milk mixture.  Do this until about half of the milk mixture has been whisked into the egg mixture. 

4. Then, while whisking, return all of the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and slowly bring back to a boil.  Mixture will thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour mixture into a heatproof container and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the to p of the mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Give these recipes a try.  I am sure your family will enjoy them.  You may already have all of the ingredients in you food storage pantry.  If not, these ingredients are great to have on hand.  They are convenient, versatile and make preparation fast and easy.  They also have a long shelf life.  All of these ingredients and many more can be purchased through my Shelf Reliance website.  Just click the link below to go directly to my website where you can purchase a wide variety of Shelf Reliance Products that will be shipped directly to you.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Tasty Potato Salad From Food Storage Ingredients

For the past two months I have enjoyed attending THRIVE LIVE, a freeze-dried food cooking demonstration with Chef Todd Leonard of Shelf Reliance.  This has been a wonderfully tasty experience.  Chef Todd has a knack for creating deliciously appealing recipes from Shelf Reliance THRIVE foods.  It is true that THRIVE foods are of the highest quality and are convenient, nutritious and easy to use, but Chef Todd makes them the star of the show.  Each month, Chef Todd chooses a theme and demonstrates 5 or 6 recipes pertaining to that theme.  But, best of all, after the demonstration, all of his creations are served up for your trial.  They are not only delicious, but also inspiring.  I always want to come and create some of my own recipes.

In this post, I would like to share Chef Todd’s recipe for “Potato Salad”.  It is one of Chef Todd’s featured recipes for the month of June in which his theme was “Summer Salads”.  This recipe has one very unique ingredient that really wakes up the taste of potato salad.  That ingredient is hot sauce.  There is not enough hot sauce to actually make the salad spicy, but just enough to wake up your taste buds.  This recipe has become a favorite with my husband. Give it a try.  I know you will enjoy it too.

Potato Salad

Chef Todd Leonard

4 eggs, hard-boiled and diced

½ #10 can THRIVE Potato Dices (FD)

¼ C. THRIVE chopped onions (dehydrated)

½ C. THRIVE celery (FD)

1 C. light mayonnaise

½ C. Dijon mustard

½ C. dill pickles, diced

¼ tbsp. THRIVE iodized salt

½ tbsp. season salt

½ tbsp. Cholula hot sauce

Hard-boil and dice eggs, Reconstitute potatoes, onions, and celery in a bowl by barely covering with water.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and chill well before serving.

Serving Idea:  Top with fresh garden tomatoes and fanned boiled eggs. 

THRIVE foods by Shelf Reliance are truly the best available.  They not only have a long shelf life, but they make preparation fast and easy.  Since they are already sliced and ready to go, all you have to do is rehydrate them.  This process takes 10 minutes or less.  Simplify your life.  Make THRIVE foods a part of your “Home Store”.

If you would like to know more about Shelf Reliance THRIVE food or purchase them online, please click the link below.  You will also be able to view other Shelf Reliance recopies by Chef Todd and others at this website.

Tomato Basil Rice Italian from Food Storage Ingredients

This summer, I have had a craving for Italian Food.  I love the flavors of tomatoes, basil, sea salt and parmesan cheese together.  After a little experimentation, I came up with this quick, easy and delicious recipe.  It is quick and easy because of the freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients.  They are already cleaned, chopped and ready to rehydrate.  If you want it to be even quicker, pre-cook and refrigerate the rice.  You can even use leftover refrigerated white or brown rice (no pre-seasoning).  What a great tasting way to use up leftover rice.  

Give it a try.  If you like the taste of Italian cuisine, you will love it.

Tomato Basil Rice Italian from Food Storage Ingredients

2 C. Cooked White or Brown Rice

2 T. Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

½ C. Dehydrated or Freeze-dried Onion

5 Lg. Sprigs of Basil (Fresh), chopped

1 C. Freeze-dried Tomato Chunks

½ to ¾ C. Freeze-dried Green or Red Peppers or a mixture of both

½ C. Freeze-dried Chopped Chicken

1 tsp. Sea Salt, more if desired

1/8 to ¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper, depending on how spicy you like it.

Parmesan Cheese for topping

Rehydrate onion, tomato, peppers and chicken in separate bowls by adding just enough water to each bowl to cover each ingredient.  Let set for 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain off water and press each a little to get rid of any excess water.  Set aside. 

Place olive oil into frying pan over medium heat.  Add rice and stir fry until rice is hot and coated with olive oil.  Add garlic and onion to the pan and stir fry until garlic is cooked.  It will only take a few minutes.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the rest of the ingredients except cheese and continue stir frying for a few minutes until all ingredients are warm and thoroughly incorporated.  Taste to adjust seasoning. 

Serve on individual plates.  Top with a little grated parmesan cheese.

All of the food storage items I used in this recipe are from Shelf Reliance Thrive.  They are high quality products that are convenient to use now, yet they have a long shelf live.  If you would like to purchase any of these ingredients to have on hand, please go to my Shelf Reliance website.  Just click the link below and click on the shop tab.  You will be able to purchase a wide variety of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, along with other food storage staples. 

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Why Freeze-Dried Foods Should Be Part of Your Food Storage Plan

Today there are many options open to people starting or building their food storage plan.  I believe that it is wise not to put all of your food storage dollars into one basket.  That being said, I believe that freeze-dried foods should definitely be a part of everyone’s plan. 

Why I like freeze-dried foods for food storage:

1.    When sealed, they can be stored for up to 25 years at room temperature.  Note: Extreme heat reduces shelf life.

2.    Their reduced water content inhibits the growth of microorganisms, and spoilage.

3.    The freeze-drying process preserves the nutritional content of the food.

4.    They maintain their natural shape, size, color, aroma and taste

5.    They speed up the process of food preparation because they are already sliced or chopped and they rehydrated quickly.

6.    They are delicious right out of the can if circumstances required you to eat them that way.

7.    They fit well into a food rotation plan. 

8.    They are easy to use in everyday cooking.

9.    They provide good nutrition, variety and convenience.

When I was first introduced to Shelf Reliance Thrive foods, I could see the possibilities.  I already had food storage, but I always wondered how we could survive without getting food fatigue (tired of eating wheat, rice and beans).  With Thrive Foods, we can eat just about what we always eat even if I can’t go to the store.

I have found that as I rotate my food storage in my everyday meals, Thrive Foods make cooking fast, easy and fun.  I don’t have to worry about unexpectedly running out of eggs.  My can of Thrive Whole Egg Powder is in my pantry and ready to use.  I waste less because I can use the exact amount of Thrive foods like celery or mushrooms without worrying how I might use the remaining fresh ones.

What is the process used to freeze-dry Shelf Reliance Thrive foods?

1.    Fresh quality foods are chosen at the peak of perfection.

2.    Meats are cooked, some vegetables are blanched and all foods are cut into small pieces.

3.    The foods are flash frozen at -50 Degrees F.

4.    The foods are immediately placed into a vacuum chamber and 98% of the moisture is removed through sublimation (changing liquid into gas).

5.    The food is sealed in moisture and oxygen proof cans.

It makes sense to make Shelf Reliance Thrive freeze-dried foods part of your food storage plan.  If you would like to shop for Shelf Reliance Thrive foods, just visit my Shelf Reliance website at:

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Emergency Food Storage - How Do I Educate Myself

It is very important that you take time to educate yourself on the aspects of how to store and prepare your food storage.  You may have just what you need to survive an emergency right in your own home.  However, if you don’t know how to use it or even more important, how to maximize its potential, what good is it? 

I have found that it is essential to study the following when planning and building a food storage plan:

1.   How much to food to store. 

·      Refer to a food storage calculator – see Thrive Planner at susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

·      Calculate your own plan using your own recipes, then compare amounts with a food storage calculator

2.   Basic Nutrition

·      http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid-full-story/index.html     

    3.  Where to store your food storage

·      Refer to my post – “Emergency Food Storage – Where Do I Store It”

·      Refer to http://survivalacres.com/information/shelflife.html

    4.  Shelf Live of Food

·     Refer to susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

·     Refer to http://survivalacres.com/information/shelflife.html

    5.  What Affects Storage Life

·     http://shop.conserva.de/long-term-food/What-factors-affect-the-shelf-life-of-foodstuffs

The websites listed above are only a few of many that offer good information on these topics.  Check the Internet and library for more information.

The above information can be learned from studying websites, articles and books.  However, don’t stop there.  The rest of the knowledge that you need comes from personal experience.

1.    Find simple recipes that can be made from your food storage that your family will enjoy.  Try them out on them.  If they won’t eat something now, they won’t eat it in an emergency.

2.    Experiment with quantity of food a recipe makes.  You want to make just enough for your needs.  You may not be able to store leftovers and you certainly don’t want to waste food.

3.    If you have stored whole grains and most people do, experiment with cooking them.  Find recipes and cooking methods that you like.

4.    Experiment with the characteristics of different storage food ingredients.  For example, do you know how freeze-dried foods can be substituted for caned or fresh ingredients

5.    Experiment with different cooking methods that are available to you – grill, campfire, solar oven, etc.

6.    Identify any special equipment you will need

Education is important.  If you take time to educate yourself and put your knowledge into practice before the emergency situation occurs, you will be much better prepared to handle the unexpected.  Don’t think of your food storage experience as difficult or unpleasant.  Rather, think of it as something you can learn and have fun with.  Your attitude will transfer to your family, so make the best of it.

Emergency Food Storage - Where Do I Store It?

Many people delay getting their food storage because they don’t know where to store it.  For those living in small apartments or homes, this can be a difficult problem.  It may not be possible to store as much food as you would like, but it is certainly possible to find creative solutions to this problem. 

First, lets consider the important factors that are necessary to maintain the shelf life of your food storage.

·      Temperature – Always store food at a cool constant temperature.  The ideal temperature range is 40 to 70 degrees.  Heat affects nutrition, appearance, texture and taste of food.

·      Humidity – Food containers should be air tight and stored above the floor and away from outside walls.

·      Light – Food storage should be stored in a dark place. Light fades   colors, destroys vitamins, and speeds the rancidity of fats.

·      Pests – Food storage area must be kept clean to avoid the invasion of pests. Immediately cleaning up any spilled food particles.  #10 cans provide the best protection against pest invasion from the outside.  Airtight containers provide the best protection from invasion from inside.  Insects cannot live without air.

During the course of our married life, my husband and I have moved many times.  When we started our life together we rented a 1-bedroom apartment in an old house.  The one closet we had was tiny.  The only place we had to keep our food storage was under the bed.  It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.  My mother happened to work as a clerk in a clothing store.  She was able to provide me with large flat boxes that would easily fit under the bed.  I packed our food storage items in the boxes.  This made access to my food storage easier, as the boxes were easy to slide in and out.   As we moved, had children and added to our food storage, we somehow seemed to find a place to keep our food storage.

Here are a few creative suggestions of spaces and equipment that people have used:

1.    Between the couch and the wall

2.    Between a bed head board and wall

3.    Along the wall of a closet underneath hanging clothes

4.    Mount 12 inch deep shelves floor to ceiling, along a wall and then cover with drapes hung from the ceiling

5.    Stack boxes and put on a plywood tabletop and cover with a cloth for an end table

6.    Use pieces of furniture with built in storage areas such as a bench that opens up with a storage compartment

7.    Use Shelf Reliance Food Rotation Systems that stand-alone or can be used on existing shelves or under the bed. 

It was a long time until we had an actual space that was designated just for food storage.  I have found that you need to be creative and think out of the box.  Please visit my website to see all of the Shelf Reliance Food Rotation Systems that are available.  They are not only wonderful to take advantage of available space, but they help in the rotation of you food storage.

 susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

*From now until May 20, 2012, the Harvest 72" #10 - 11949
 is on sale.  Sale Price: $229.99
Regular Price: $264.99

The following are the sources of information I used to write this article.

http://www.countrysurvival.com/how-to-store-food-storage/

http://www.countrysurvival.com/where-to-put-your-food-storage/

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/48306/

Emergency Food Storage for Short and Long Term Needs

Building and maintaining a viable food storage program requires knowledge and determination.  When I first started working on my food storage plan, I had no idea of where to begin.  In order to be successful, you need to educate yourself in:

1.   The nutritional needs of your family. 

2.   Storage properties of various types of foods

3.   Equipment and preparation methods that can be used in emergency situations

4.   Recipes that are adaptable to emergency situations.

How much food do I need to store

• At least a 2 weeks supply is recommended by FEMA
• Other organizations recommend up to 1 year’s supply of food

What kind of foods is best to store

1. Foods that are high in calories and nutrition
2. Require no refrigeration
3. Require no special preparation
4. Special consideration needs to be made for babies, elderly, nursing mothers and those who require special dietary needs

When I first began building my food storage, it was popular to simply follow one of the plans put out by various organizations.  These plans usually calculated a persons needs by age and sex length of time.  The plan would give you the number of pounds of grains, legumes, cooking oil, powdered milk, salt, sugar or honey and water a person needed for the given time.  The exactness of this type of plan gave people security in that nothing was left to your imagination.  However, when people got to thinking about surviving on that type of plan, it was obvious that surviving would not be pleasant.  Most people in today’s society are not used to eating in the manner that those types of foods alone would provide.  As time passes, it has become a more acceptable philosophy to store what you eat on a regular basis.  This makes food storage more palatable and desirable.

Sources of knowledge that will help you with your food storage plan:

1.  Food Guide Pyramid – Gives average daily guidelines for a healthy diet

2.  Food Storage Calculator (many can be found on line) – gives quantities needed by age, sex and sometimes activity level

Where do I begin?  Make a Plan.

1. Access the needs of your family – How many adults, how many children, any special needs, time period for which you want your storage to last
2. Create a list of food storage menus.  These should be menus that your family enjoys and is used to eating.  The menus should contain ingredients that are easy to store.  For example, a Chef Salad is not adaptable for food storage because you cannot store fresh lettuce.  On the other hand, menu items such as beef stew have ingredients that can readily be stored.  Menus containing commonly used ingredients are best suited to food storage programs.
3. From your list of menus, make a list of ingredients.  These are the ingredients you will need for your food storage.
4. Calculate approximate amounts of the ingredients that you will need for the length of time you food storage will last.  Compare this to the amounts suggested on a food storage calculator.
5. Consider all of the types of food available for storage and there costs and storage shelf life

Start Building Your Food Storage

1.     Make a weekly or monthly budget for food storage

2.     Start with the basics and consistently add to you food storage weekly or monthly

3.     Buy a variety of food storage items along rather than buying a large quantity of one item.

4.     Make sure you are storing all of the items you need. Don’t forget the oil, yeast, soda, baking powder, powdered milk, salt, spices, etc.

5.     It is wise to store vitamins and other medications you use

6.     Don’t forget to store stress relieving foods such as sweets or candy

7.     Be determined – if you stop for a period of time, it is easy to get off track

8.     Find a good place in your home to store your food storage

9.     After you have some food storage on hand, established a plan to rotate your storage.  The best way is to store what you eat and to eat what you store.

10.  Evaluate your storage plan as you rotate it.  Don’t be afraid to add new items and discontinue those you are not using up.

11.  Variety is important to avoid food fatigue

I highly recommend visiting http://EzineArticles.com/1308085 to see how adding a few items to your storage can improve the variety of what you can make from it.

I don’t recommend that you put all your eggs in one food storage basket.  It is best to have packaged, canned, bottled and freeze-dried foods in your storage plan.  Each has its benefits.  My favorite is freeze-dried food.  Although it is a little more expensive, it offers the benefits of high quality nutrition, rich taste and smell, beautiful color and an extended shelf life.  Not only this but it is very convenient to use.

Please visit my Shelf Reliance website at:

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

to find out more about the benefits of Thrive freeze-dried products or to purchase them.

Delicious Fruit Tart

I have always wanted to make a fruit tart.  They look so beautiful with the colorful fruits on top.  The other day I saw a recipe for a fruit tart on the Internet.  The pictures were so appealing that I just had to make it.  I decided to convert the recipe into one that could be made from my food storage.  Actually, the use of food storage ingredients makes it really fast to make and very convenient.  Not only that, but using my food storage ingredients in this way helps me to rotate my ingredients, preventing them from getting too old.  Here is a picture of the fruit tart I made and the recipe:

Delicious Fruit Tart

Crust

1 ½ C. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ C. granulated sugar

1 T. egg powder

½ C. butter, softened

2 T. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a tart pan with non-stick spray.  Mix all dry ingredients listed above together in a mixing bowl.  Thoroughly mix butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your hands.  Add water and knead the mixture together until it forms a ball of dough and is smooth in texture.  Using your fingers, press the dough out evenly over the bottom and sides of the tart pan.  Prick with a fork to prevent bubbling.  Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15 minutes.  Crust should be golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.

Cream Filling

¼ C. powdered milk

3 T. egg powder

¼ C. granulated sugar

2 T. flour

2 T. cornstarch

1 C. + 7 T. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Add all dry ingredients to a saucepan and mix well.  Gradually whisk in water.  Heat mixture over medium heat until it thickens, whisking continually for the whole time.  (Note:  when mixture starts to thicken, the mixture will start to look like it is forming lumps.  Just continue to whisk rapidly and the lumps will easily go away.  It may be helpful to remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds at that time and then put it back on the heat until it is completely thickened.)  Cook and whisk for a minute longer after the mixture has thickened. Whisk in the vanilla.  If you feel that the mixture is too thick, you can add another Tablespoon of water at this time and whisk it in well.  Put about 1 ½ inches of cold water into the sink.  Place the saucepan into the sink and stir the cream filling until it is completely cool.  Spread the filling over the crust.

Fruit Topping

You can use whatever fruit you choose.  I chose to use freeze-dried strawberries because of their beautiful red color and for the second fruit; I was going to use freeze-dried Mangos also for their color. However, we had fresh blue berries in the refrigerator and they are my husband’s favorite.

This is the basic recipe for the fruit topping made from freeze-dried fruit.  If you use two different fruits to decorate your tart, you need to make the following recipe with one fruit and cut the recipe in half to make the second fruit sauce.

2 C. freeze-dried fruit (I used strawberries)

1 C. water

1/8 tsp. lemon juice

1 to 1 ½ T. sugar

¾ tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 T. water

Place freeze-dried fruit, water, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a slow boil and let the mixture cook for a few minutes while stirring constantly.  The fruit will rehydrate and the mixture will thicken slightly.  Remove from heat and let cool until the mixture is no longer boiling.  Stir in water and cornstarch mixture until blended well.  Put saucepan back on the heat until the mixture thickens.  Cool completely.

Spoon cooled fruit toppings over the cream filling and arrange in concentric circles.  Refrigerate fruit tart for 1 hour.  Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from the recipe titled Fruit Tart Tested Recipe at: www.joyofbaking.com/FruitTart.html

Most of the ingredients used in my recipe above are Shelf Reliance Thrive products.  They are delicious, high quality ingredients with a long shelf life.  In most cases the shelf live is 25 years.  I highly recommend these products.  They are very affordable and offer the option of long time storage or time saving convenience in your everyday meals.  With Shelf Reliance Thrive foods there is no washing, slicing, or going out to shop, preparation time is cut significantly.

If you are interested in knowing more about our wide variety of products or if you would like to purchase any of the products and have them conveniently shipped to your door, please visit my Shelf Reliance website at:

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com