This month’s recipe is featured in ‘Nostalgic Delights’.
I have used a classic pate de fruits recipe to recreate Rowntree iconic confection which was launched in 1881. The different colours and the sugar coating used to fascinate me as a young laddie.
The region Auvergne, in South West France is renowned for its pate de fruits where it was created by a French patissier called Gillierus during the 17th century.
Lemon, Orange, Lime, Raspberry, Strawberry and Blackcurrant Fruit Pastilles
Recipes: Pate de fruits
Ingredients: granulated sugar
Equipment: one 24-hole silicone pomponette mould with 3 x 2cm cavities.
Pate De Fruits
240g (8½oz) Fruit Purée
225g (8oz/generous 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
95g (3oz) liquid glucose
10g (¼oz) pectin
2.5g (½ tsp) lemon juice
- Put the fruit purée, 150g of the sugar and the liquid glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Mix the remaining sugar with the pectin in a small bowl.
- Whisk the pectin mixture into the boiling fruit purée.
- Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches 104°C (219°F) on a sugar thermometer.
- Mix in the lemon juice and continue to cook for 3–4 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a silicone mould and leave to set for 2–3 hours in a cool, dry place.
- Demould the set pate de fruits and roll them in granulated sugar.
