Pate de fruit (fruit paste)
Pretty little gummy jewels they are. (Channeling my inner Yoda, sorry) These little bites are like soft gummy bears. They are made with fresh fruit puree and are completely fat free if you eat them standing up! Yes they are. Promise.
The ingredients are very simple and their aren't very many of them. Sugar, lemon juice, fruit and certo liquid pectin. Which can be found at any local grocery store. It can be found with the canning supplies or in the jello/pudding aisle.
I put the fruit in my food processor and blended it till smooth and free of lumps. Then I strained it through a couple layers of cheese cloths discarding the seeds and put it in the saucepan. I added the sugar and lemon juice according to Tartlette's instructions. And before I knew it the mixture was bubbling and reducing and hitting the 223 degree mark.
I also did it with pears. With these I peeled, chopped and simmered them in a pan with water till they were soft. Then I pureed them. Actually I thought they turned out firmer because the puree had less liquid. Which is what you want.
The pear mixture was so clear you could see through to the foil liner.
After allowing them to cool for a couple hours, I turned them out, cut them and shook them in sugar to coat them. That way they won't stick to each other.
I must confess, I ate almost the whole batch by myself. In order to stop myself I gave some away. They were gratefully received. I know I would be grateful to receive such a pretty little gift. That's an idea. Maybe I'll make them for Christmas this year. Sounds like a plan.
Here's Tartlettes recipe. Note: I didn't have rhubarb so I just used more strawberries. For the pear batch I used 13 oz of freshly cooked and pureed pears.
Strawberry And Rhubarb Pate de Fruit:
Notes: I use Certo liquid pectin so I can't vouch for how others might behave. I use a large stainless steel pot so the evaporation and cooking could happen faster (much like with making mava). I recommend not straining the fruit in a fine mesh colander otherwise you are at it for a week. I use one with medium sized holes just to make sure I get rid of any pieces of fruit that has not been pureed properly.
6.5 oz (190gr) strawberries, cleaned and hulled
6.5 oz (190gr) rhubarb, cleaned
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups (400gr) sugar, divided
2.5 tablespoons liquid pectin
Line a 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Roughly chop the strawberries and rhubard and puree them really well in a food processor. Strain the fruits over a heavy saucepan and add the lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup (100gr) saugar and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook until its temperature register 113F, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 1.5 cups (300gr) sugar and the pectin to the pot and slowly bring the mixture to 200F, still over medium high heat while stirring constantly. Turn the heat down a bit and keep the mixture at 200F for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat back up and slowly bring the mixture to 223F. Keep it there for an additional 2-3 minutes (turn the heat down if necessary to do so). Remove from the heat and immediately pour the mixture into your pan lined with parchment paper. Let set for a couple of hours. Cut shapes with a sharp knife and roll the pieces of pate de fruit in sugar. Refrigerate if not eating all of them at once.