This was first posted on 20th September 2015.
I have made a few over the years and more recently have shared with some friends the current recipe so below is slightly updated process etc…they are still super nice!
It is very easy to do and a classic of a recipe that our Grandmas would have been making all the time and we just forgot how to do it…because of supermarket stuff.
It is also a bit “Zen”, like caramel making because you need to stay close to your hot pan and keep stirring until the right temperature is reached.
A bit like caramel, you definitely need a Thermometer to keep track of the temperature of the mixture in the pan. I am sure that our grandmothers were capable of knowing the right time of cooking but for me, it is just easier.
The trick is to heat up the mixture until it reaches 107 degrees celsius. This is the temperature at which the sugar and the pectin change structure and become the jelly-like sweets. If you leave the temperature to go higher, you will get something closer to candies.
I like to make small pieces with sugar on them so that they don’t stick to each other. Other people like to coat them with granulated sugar.
The very best is to use a little bit of citric acid and mix it with some granulated sugar, then blitz this in a coffee grinder or blender. You get something like icing sugar which has a bit of a sour taste which most people love on their sweets.
My prefered is to simply have them naked, it is a bit sticky but who cares! Simply lick your fingers afterwards…
Ingredients:
- 300g of Fruits (I am using Raspberries in the pictures)
- 300g of Sugar. (yes 50/50 is ok)
- 20g of Pectin (without this forget it). I got mine here. But Amazon has plenty as well.
- for the coating: 1 tablespoon of citric acid for 7 to 10 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Preparation:
- Blend the fruits very fine. I use the Vitamix or the Bamix for that with the chopping attachment on full speed. Ideally, to take the Raspberry seeds out, you can filter through a fine mesh but you probably lose a bit of the goodness that is in the seeds. I prefer to blend the fruits a bit longer and crush the seeds to keep as many vitamins and goodness in the end product. The Vitamix is the best for that. Full blast for 45 seconds and the seeds will get blended within the mixture.
- Mix the sugar and pectin together
- Put everything in a pan, and stir over strong heat.
- Stir again and again until you get to 107 degrees, it will take forever….until you get something fairly sticky in the pan. It will bubble up and boil. check the temperature regularly.
- Once the 107 degrees has been reached, pour the mixture on a tray with cling film or even better a sheet of silicone. Try to make a rectangle that has a thickness of about 1.5cm. The mixture should be thick enough so that this is an easy step.
- Let it cool down, this will probably take a good hour or more.
- Make the coating mixture with the citric acid and the sugar. Simply blend a bit of citric acid with a fair amount of sugar. Taste to check how “sour” you want it to be. You can have then fairly sour because the overall “Pate de Fruits” is very sweet anyway.
- Slice little cubes or rectangles of the size of your choice, then put into a Ziplock plastic bag or simply in a bowl. Pour the powdered sugar on the candies to coat them with a fine dust that will prevent them to stick to each other.
You can keep these sweets for a long time in a box but you will struggle to not eat them! After a few days, they become just a little bit gummier that’s all.
Although the recipe has a lot of sugar in it, like Jam, it is a good way of getting fruits and vitamins inside our kids … they love it.
I make some with Strawberries, Apples etc….it think that most fruits would work and you can also make blends of Apples and Blueberries or anything you fancy! It is also very nice to add a little bit of Lime juice to the fruit mixture.
Actually decided to make a list of fruits to try :
Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Apricot, Blood Orange, Lemon+Apple, Red currant, Kiwi, Mango, Melon, Pear, Cherries, Peaches….
