My parents were strict with us when we were growing up. I don't recall ever vehemently demanding for anything when we were young. We would gladly take whatever my parents would give us, be it sweet treats, stationery, books or clothes. If anything we set our eyes on were deemed expensive by our parents, we learnt to let go and make do with cheaper alternatives. We did not whine or throw tantrums, we just learnt to enjoy and made the best out of what we had... When it came to candies and sweet treats, Cadbury chocolates were not heard of within our households. The best we would see were Van Houten almond chocolate ovals that came in oval shaped tin cans or long rectangular tin boxes.
For Candies, my mother would always get us Polo mints - possibly the most unpopular and the most boring candy for a kid. Second to the Polo mints, our other favourite would be the Rowntree Fruit Gums.
They were fruity and sweet and for a long time, these were my favourite. The only cons about this candy were possibly that they were hard (which made them last forever to chew) and had the tendency to stick on to the teeth. Following the Rowntree fruit gum came something which has remained my firm favourite till today - the Rowntree Blackcurrant / Tropical Fruits pastilles. These were soft, tangy and had a more natural fruity taste compared to the gums. These were a little more expensive compared to the fruit gums and the polo mints (polo mints were the cheapest) but whenever we went grocery shopping at the supermarket then, we would always look out for the typical special offers that would come as 3 tubes in a pack.
My love for fruit pastilles continues till today - I can at any time, finish up a whole tube of Rowntree (now owned by Nestle) Blackcurrant Fruit pastilles faster than you can finish sucking your Polo Mint!
Hence, it comes as no suprise that I have always been tempted to make Pate de Fruits - a little sweet treat often served as petit fours with other sweet treats.
This is not the first time I have attempted a Pate de Fruit. I recall trying to make these with Mango puree but for some reason, it just would not gel... it could have been the fact that I had tried to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or it could have been due to the pectin I was using at the time....
The recipe I am using today is taken from Le Cordon Bleu "De la Cueillette, a la Recette" - an illustrative Le Cordon Bleu French Pastry Training Manual which I find rather useful. The recipe combines the mildness of pear puree with Casis to soften the tartness. The amount of sugar used in the recipe is still maddeningly huge but I refrained from tweaking the recipe for fear that it will not gel again. In addition to pectin, this recipe also calls for the addition of citric acid. ( the recipe I tried before used lemon juice) The citric acid was added at the end of the cooking process and was the critical component that ensured problem-free gelling of the cooked jam.
Verdict- the fruit jelly was bursting with rich fruity flavours - The tartness and sweetness were so intense that I could not really decide if it was more tart or more sweet. I definitely feel more encouraged this time and am looking forward to work with other fruits and ... yes, I am still adamant on tweaking the sugar level !
Recipe :
Cassis Puree 200g
Pear Puree 150g
Pectin 8g
Castor sugar A 38g (mix pectin and sugar A together)
Castor sugar B 375g
Glucose 75g
Citric Acid 8g
Coarse Sugar For coating
Method :
1. In a copper pot, heat Casis Puree and Pear Puree until 40-45C. Add Pectin and sugar A mixture slowly into the puree mixture.
2. Add glucose and continue to stir and heat until puree starts to bubble.
3. Add the rest of the castor sugar in 3 additions. Stirring well to dissolve after each addition.
4. Continue to stir and heat until temperature reaches 107C.
5. Remove from heat. Add in citric acid and stir well to dissolve.
6. Pour jam into an 18x18cm square ring. (place square ring on a tray lined with silpat mat/ baking sheet.
7. Leave to cool and set at room temperature for 12 hours. (note, once citric acid is added, puree will gel quite quickly, so work quickly to pour into mold)
8. Dust with coarse sugar and cut to size.
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32 comments:
They look so perfect Shirley! I'd love to try them!
This reminded so much of my childhood too. Btw where can you get cassia puree? Is this a fruit?
Hi Edith, I bought the purée from Poon Huat. It is also known as Myrtilles, I believe.
it reminds me of ribena pastilles..he he
You never failed to surprise me with your creation, Shirley..I bet there's more surprises coming up soon.. Keep it up.. :)
all those lollies you mentioned, i ate them too in my childhood. only difference where the brands (choc almonds - nestle, fruit gums - pascalls, pastilles - fruitips, polo - lifesavers) though i was not very fond of the choc almonds. i still eat the others to this day and bring back a box of them when returning from Malaysia :)
making your own sure looks fun :) haha i nearly got cassis and cassia mixed up hehehe
This is really something interesting ! Fancy one making own sweets, very creative and must be tasting great !
yes, these are indeed childhood treats! And like you, it extends til even today. I would openly "steal" a pop or two when I see my students eat fruit pastilles during class, pretending to "confiscate" them. They would just laugh when I do it cos they know I love it too!
If my feeble french serves me right, myrtilles are blueberries, like those you'd used in your photos. Cassis are blackcurrants alright and yes, they are available at Phoon Huat. I love the sharpness they provide and I'm sure you do too! The thought of it activates my salivary glands now now even as I'm typing.
About the previous attempt with mango, I'm guessing you used raw mangoes which you'd pureed yourself? I'm wild-guessing if the action of the enzymes present in raw fruits like kiwi and mangoes has any effect on pectin as they do on agar and gelatine, which cause the latter two to break down thus inhibiting the gelatinising process. Like you'd mentioned, acidifying the concoction sufficiently aids in the gelling process.
It's rather ironic that you prefer less sugar in so many things yet have a love for these fruit pastilles. When I was young there was occasionally chocolate and Sugus in our house but never these fruit pastilles. I think the first ones I ate was from my grandfather's wake. :D
For a short while after I started working I discovered Cadbury's black forest drops and was fixed with it for awhile. These will be great coated with dark chocolate, but the additional pain to temper and coat them would probably drive me nuts!
Oh.my.god. I can't believe you made these. I get a tube of these every now and then. Shirley, I love you!
Oh yes, me too love the Rowntree Fruit Gums and these certainly looks good.
this is fantastic Shirley! I love pastilles and I have thought of making my own, Thank you for saving me the trouble to look for a recipe. I AM SO MAKING THESE! :))))
beautiful phtos too :)
你很棒...好像什么都难不倒你:P
I was a 'sweet' kid, I mean I ate a lot of sweets when I was a child. Sure reminds me of those days. Ahhh Rowntree!
I'm going to give this try for my grandsons. I hope I'll succeed!
ahhh.. yes those van houton chocolates! who can forget them. What a treat when I was growing up too.. I love how you made a classic into something so special! oh, i wish i can have one right now.
If you really want to tweak the sugar level, do a search for so-sugar pectin. There is a version out there that will gel w/o the presence of a ridiculous amount of sugar. I wouldn't reduce the sugar by more than, say 10% to start with. PdFs generally follow pretty exacting formulas.
Good luck w/it--I think what you came up with this time looks lovely:)
@travelingfoodies- hahaha.. To actually deliberately confiscate this from your students..you must really love the pastilles :) yes, you are right in suggesting that enzymes in the mango may not be too pectin friendly- what's more they oxidize and turn really dark in colour through the prolong heating, The berries by far give the best results. I have seen instructions from pectin package which stipulates different qty of pectin and sugar for different kind of fruits.
@jenni.. Thank you so much for your constructive comments! Yes, I have heard of low sugar pectin which claims to gel with all sugar level... I think I do have a pack which I had bought in the US. Will give it a try soon.
These sound delicious. I've never tried making fruit jelly candy, but they are among my favorites too.
Tks,
These look delicious!
Oh I love these too! I haven't eaten any in ages!
I am not a mint person so I don't like Polo mints. But Rowntree Fruit Gums and Pastilles - yes! I remember the pastilles are my lectures saver and I can finish a tube before the lecture ends. For Van Houten, I go for the minis - RAISINS! My fav!
Woah! You even make your own sweets now! What's next? ;p
I love fruit pastilles, I eat them when I was young too and they are considered healthier sweets. Yours are gorgeous and brings back fond memories.
Cute little shape and delectable looking jellies. I've always enjoyed jelly candies and now my kids love them more than me :)
Oh and thanks much for popping over to my space and the words of support. Much appreciated. Big hugs!
I was definitely a fruit gum girl myself but I never thought to make them myself! These look so cute and tasty!
You just brought back so many memories. I can't believe that you made these! You rock :)
As I'm reading your post, it sure stir up some fun childhood memories! Lol! Love the Carissa fruit gums! Looks like it's bursting with juicy flavors!
I loved sugared fruit gums that look exactly like the rounded ones you made as a kid too! I've made pear infused cassis jelly- they were so good and simple. Definitely have to give this one a go soon :)
Yummy! :) I love soft jelly fruit candy.
Oh! Homemade fruit jelly, they look so pretty...I never had a chance to make them. Beautiful pictures as well. Hope you are having a great week Shirley :-)
I was actually wondering if these were very sweet -- so glad to know they're well balanced by plenty of tartness. Looks yummy!
Regarding your disappointment with the mango version. Yes, an enzyme called papain (sp)will prevent proper gelling (also with gelatin).
Pineapple, papaya and kiwi also have it. None will properly gel unless the enzyme is killed by cooking. Cooking,of course, ruins some fruits (kiwi for example). I learned this the hard way in my early career as a pastry chef trying to make a kiwi layered bavarian cream. Good luck all. I'm going to go make candies.
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