Pâte de Fruits (Fruit Paste/Fruit Jellies) (Part 1)

[rlibkind]

Payard sells them online, and they are very good.

[dantodd]

I really enjoy Recchiuti's Pates de Fruit

http://www.recchiuti.com

[rumball]

jacques torres has a good recipe , may be he is making them too, considering it's a french staple? the best i tried were, of course, french. dean de luca ships them, i think. and may be williams sonoma - only for the holiday season.

[Emily_R]

Kerry --

Oooh! I'm not the original poster, but I'd LOVE to know how to make it... Could you link me to your favorite recipe?

Tanks!

Emily

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry --

Oooh! I'm not the original poster, but I'd LOVE to know how to make it... Could you link me to your favorite recipe?

Tanks!

Emily

←

Emily,

I use the recipes for the boiron purees (even if I make my own purees).

Click here

[A Patric]

Kerry --

Oooh! I'm not the original poster, but I'd LOVE to know how to make it... Could you link me to your favorite recipe?

Tanks!

Emily

←

Emily,

I use the recipes for the boiron purees (even if I make my own purees).

Click here

←

Hi Kerry,

Do you use a refractometer, and if so, is there one type that you would recommend over others?

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry --

Oooh! I'm not the original poster, but I'd LOVE to know how to make it... Could you link me to your favorite recipe?

Tanks!

Emily

←

Emily,

I use the recipes for the boiron purees (even if I make my own purees).

Click here

←

Hi Kerry,

Do you use a refractometer, and if so, is there one type that you would recommend over others?

←

I bought my refractometer from a hospital lab supply company. You can get them from Lee Valley (mail order out of Canada), and you can check places like JB Prince and Chef Rubber. You need to get the one that handles the higher densities.

[mrose]

It seems every recipe you see for pate de fruit uses a different pectin. Also you can buy an endless variety. How do you know which one to use?

[Kerry Beal]

It seems every recipe you see for pate de fruit uses a different pectin. Also you can buy an endless variety. How do you know which one to use?

←

I've never had any luck making pates de fruit with anything other the the apple pectin. I've tried the liquid pectin in recipes that call for liquid pectin, and it has never worked.

[mrose]

It seems every recipe you see for pate de fruit uses a different pectin. Also you can buy an endless variety. How do you know which one to use?

←

I've never had any luck making pates de fruit with anything other the the apple pectin. I've tried the liquid pectin in recipes that call for liquid pectin, and it has never worked.

←

Is that the commonly found pectin with the canning suypplies?

[Kerry Beal]

It seems every recipe you see for pate de fruit uses a different pectin. Also you can buy an endless variety. How do you know which one to use?

←

I've never had any luck making pates de fruit with anything other the the apple pectin. I've tried the liquid pectin in recipes that call for liquid pectin, and it has never worked.

←

Is that the commonly found pectin with the canning suypplies?

←

Yup, that's the one.

[tsquare]

I may not know what I am talking about, but I like Neuhaus's. Not sure if they ship them though.

ChefShop had some pretty ones in the store last month - don't see any on-line currently.

[stscam]

Pectin/pate de fruits-wise, apple works best and most reliably. I've never had any luck with any of the stuff in the canning sections of supermarkets, nor did the Pomona brand pectin work. I use Paris Gourmet apple pectin and the Boiron recipes and get very consistent results. I know some confectioners who use one of the Louis Francoise pectins (forgot which, sorry). Once you find one that works, stick with it.

Refractometer-wise, if you're serious about making pates de fruit having one of these is worth every penny. As I write this, there are five pages of refractometers on ebay. But you do need one that will read in the 60-80 brix range (most pdf ends up around 75 brix). They should cost in the $50-60 range.

We make our own purees from local fruit, adding cane sugar to bring the brix level up to those of the Boiron purees. This also helps ensure consistency. We buy the fruit in the summer. After pureeing it, we pour 1kg of fruit into H-pans lined with saran wrap. We freeze this until solid, remove it from the pan, and vaccuum pack the resulting brick, so that it will be ready to use when we pull it from the freezer. We always mark the brix level on the bag so we know where we're starting from.

Commercial PDF - we just got in a sample of pates from Hediard, Paris. I was pleased as punch to see that they package theirs in square acetate tubes, just like we do! And their jellies look a bit moist and inconsistently doused with sugar, just like ours! They tasted pretty good, but I'll stack ours up against them any day. So there!

Cheers,

Steve

[Kerry Beal]

Pectin/pate de fruits-wise, apple works best and most reliably. I've never had any luck with any of the stuff in the canning sections of supermarkets, nor did the Pomona brand pectin work. I use Paris Gourmet apple pectin and the Boiron recipes and get very consistent results. I know some confectioners who use one of the Louis Francoise pectins (forgot which, sorry). Once you find one that works, stick with it.

Refractometer-wise, if you're serious about making pates de fruit having one of these is worth every penny. As I write this, there are five pages of refractometers on ebay. But you do need one that will read in the 60-80 brix range (most pdf ends up around 75 brix). They should cost in the $50-60 range.

We make our own purees from local fruit, adding cane sugar to bring the brix level up to those of the Boiron purees. This also helps ensure consistency. We buy the fruit in the summer. After pureeing it, we pour 1kg of fruit into H-pans lined with saran wrap. We freeze this until solid, remove it from the pan, and vaccuum pack the resulting brick, so that it will be ready to use when we pull it from the freezer. We always mark the brix level on the bag so we know where we're starting from.

Commercial PDF - we just got in a sample of pates from Hediard, Paris. I was pleased as punch to see that they package theirs in square acetate tubes, just like we do! And their jellies look a bit moist and inconsistently doused with sugar, just like ours! They tasted pretty good, but I'll stack ours up against them any day. So there!

Cheers,

Steve

←

Steve,

Do you do straight fruit flavours or more unusual combinations? Got pictures?

[CSY]

Hi! I'm new to eG and nice to meet you all!

Thought I might post here after all the eG reading on PDF:

1. Agar

-Can I use Agar instead of Apple Pectin Powder? (Agar's a LOT more available here than Apple Pectin.) Will that risk changing the flavor/texture that they become not-what-PDF-should be?

-If Agar's OK, is there a conversion, i.e. 1g Pectin=? gram Agar? And that should be Agar powder or agar stripes?

2. Making own purees

- Any standard procedure and pay-special-attention techs that one should follow(i.e. quantity, temp, etc.)? I googled up some "puree: baby food" info though...

- Recipe-testing stage, can I use only 50% of everything? Or must I strictly follow the quantity described in the recipe? (I'll get a R-meter if that's necessary.)

- For PDF's to be that "burst-of-fresh-fruit" good, means there has to be tiny fruit solids/pieces in the pate?

3. There's this article on "gelee de fraise"(Author: Le Cordon Bleu graduate). Says "unlike 'Confiture', this doesn't have any solid in it, just juice". (Recipe attached)

-Is it same thing as "strawberry puree"? Why add apple in a strawberry recipe?

The recipe:

Strawberry: 2 cartons

Apple: 1/2

Water: 100cc

Sugar: 300cc

Lemon Juice: 2 Lemons

->Strawberry+Apple+Water, boil. When boil, simmer for 15minutes, remove foam;

->Turn off heat, pour to a bowl, when cool, cover with plastic wrap, let sit for 1 hour;

->Sieve to get only the juice, throw out the solid;

->Juice+sugar+lemon juice, boil. When boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, remove foam;

->Pour into a bottle.

Thanks!

[stscam]

1. Agar

-Can I use Agar instead of Apple Pectin Powder? (Agar's a LOT more available here than Apple Pectin.) Will that risk changing the flavor/texture that they become not-what-PDF-should be?

-If Agar's OK, is there a conversion, i.e. 1g Pectin=? gram Agar? And that should be Agar powder or agar stripes?

I'm afraid I can't help you with agar. Where are you located? L'epcierie sells apple pectin in three sizes. Fine them here: L'Epicerie

2. Making own purees

- Any standard procedure and pay-special-attention techs that one should follow(i.e. quantity, temp, etc.)? I googled up some "puree: baby food" info though...

- Recipe-testing stage, can I use only 50% of everything? Or must I strictly follow the quantity described in the recipe? (I'll get a R-meter if that's necessary.)

- For PDF's to be that "burst-of-fresh-fruit" good, means there has to be tiny fruit solids/pieces in the pate?

Just take good quality, ripe fruit and whizz it in a food processor or use a stick mixer.

Many PDF recipes call for 1kg (2.2 lbs). You can halve everything without much worry.

You do not need pieces of fruit in the pate for that "burst-of-fresh-fruit" sensation.

3. There's this article on "gelee de fraise"(Author: Le Cordon Bleu graduate). Says "unlike 'Confiture', this doesn't have any solid in it, just juice". (Recipe attached)

-Is it same thing as "strawberry puree"? Why add apple in a strawberry recipe?

The recipe:

Strawberry: 2 cartons

Apple: 1/2

Water: 100cc

Sugar: 300cc

Lemon Juice: 2 Lemons

->Strawberry+Apple+Water, boil. When boil, simmer for 15minutes, remove foam;

->Turn off heat, pour to a bowl, when cool, cover with plastic wrap, let sit for 1 hour;

->Sieve to get only the juice, throw out the solid;

->Juice+sugar+lemon juice, boil. When boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, remove foam;

->Pour into a bottle.

Strawberry "juice" would be thinner than "puree." It's possible to make PDF from juices, but thicker is better.

The apple is there to add pectin. Apples are particularly high in natural pectin, and a recipe using apple is not all that unusual. The flavor of the strawberry will overpower the apple.

Sorry I didn't get back to your direct query. I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Steve

[CSY]

Just a thought:

->PDF's originally from France, said to be made by abbeys, grannies

->Then I assume, they don't always have "apple pectin powder" 50 years ago...

->I use "PDF+recette" to try to find such a no-powder recipe, with my Kindergarden French and a heavyduty dictionary. Here's what I found:

<PaTES DE FRUITS>

TEMPS

>> Cuisson : 1h / Preparation : 15 min / Repos : 1 j

INGREDIENTS

- 1 kg de fruits prépaprés (épluchés et dénoyautés)

- 1 verre d'eau

- 1 kg de sucre

- le jus de 1 citron

Cette recette est valable pour tous les fruits sauf pommes et coins

PREPARATION

- Cuire les fruits avec environ 1 verre d'eau à petit feu.

- Lorsqu'ils sont fondus (comme une compote) les mixer.

- Peser la purée de fruits et ajouter le même poids de sucre et le jus de citron.

- Cuire à petit feu en tournant très regulièrement (et tout le temps en fin de cuisson), jusqu'à obtenir un sillon au fond de la casserole quand on tourne : compter 1h à 1h10 de cuisson + ou - (on obtient une pate homogène)

- Mettre un papier sulfurisé huilé dans un couvercle de bo?te en metal (par exemple de bo?te à gateaux) et verser la pate.

- Laisser refroidir puis mettre une nuit au frigo

- Découper en carrés et rouler dans le sucre cristal

- Etaler sur un plat et faire sécher a l'air libre (endroit froid et sec) pendant quelques heures avant de mettre le tout dans un tupperware et stocker au frigo.

Les pates de fruits se conservent ainsi facilement 1 mois (plus, je ne sais pas, on a tout mangé !!!)

Nota : pour les baies (cassis etc), il faut les faire éclater au feu, puis les passer au moulin à légumes avant de peser.

SOURCE

Recette de la Maman de Laurence

-----------------------------------------------------

*Its recipe is pectin-free, someone give that a try?

*It took me half an hour to figure out the french:mix->boil->stir->pour & freeze overnight->cut & roll in sugar & dry

(Strange, Maman de Laurence would freeze the PDF. I remember Steve said that would cause weeping? I don't know Laurence's Mom yet so I can't ask her.)

And Steve,

Thank You! Now I got a better idea~

[CSY]

first try on pates de fruits: sampled a small serving while still warm, %$#@*sweet!

ingredients:

500g apple puree(not adding apple peel/seeds);

500g sugar;

bring to boil over medium-low heat, stir always.

then, do the jelly test: put a drop of the cooked puree on a frozen plate->freeze it for a minute->the drop's pliable and not sticky, ready to pour out to set.

(Powder pectin is temporarily not an option for me as it's hard to locate in local market. This 1:1 recipe is used by quite some food bloggers through an online search.)

anyone knows if it's possible to cut the sugar by 1/2 and still jellify perfectly without any extra ingredients? Now the sugar totally overpowers the apple. Just sweetness. Didn't taste any fruit in it. And i was planning for Kiwi if this apple thing worked, since apple are said to be most pectin-packed.

(p.s. the pot used to cook up the puree is very difficult to clean, same like hard-syrup-stiking. Have to boil some water to resolve the dried sugar. Does this mean the puree is also overcooked?)

Merci d'avance!

[escry]

First of all try to locate some powdered apple pectin. Steve (stscam) recommended L'Epicerie in his recent post.

My experience of pectins is that different manufactures' (and indeed different formulations from the same manufacturer) all provide noticably different results. Keep experimenting until you get it right. For initial formulations use Boiron's formulations.

It sounds to me as if you may have over cooked you first pate de fruit. If you are going to make pate de fruit regularly invest in a refractometer. You should be able to find one for $150 on ebay. Otherwise, weigh all your ingredients into your pan, calculate how much water you need to evaporate to reach 75 Brix and keep weighing your pan whilst heating until you have evaporated away just the right amount of water.

As to your substantive question: Can pates de fruit be not THAT sweet? The answer is, yes. There are two ways.

1) Substitute polydextrose for some of the sucrose. Polydextrose has virtually no sweetness.

2) Evaporate less water (you may have to add some extra water, or fruit, or reduce some of the sugar). However if you go below 67 Brix you will need a different (low ester) pectin, as regular (high ester) pectin will not set below 67 parts per hundred sugar solutes in water.

[John DePaula]

You might want to checkout this thread:

What is "g" pectin?

You might be able to reduce the amount of sugar by using the Pomona's pectin but I don't see how you're going to get around using some kind of pectin.

Check with a local pastry shop; they may be willing to sell you a quantity.

[stscam]

CSY,

If you haven't already, download the Boiron recipes. You'll note that they all call for a percentage of glucose (liquid, not powedered). This helps cut the sweetness down because glucose is only half as sweet as granulated sugar. I've not worked with polydextrose, so I can't add anything there.

Still, the Boiron recipes call for an amount of sugar close or equal to the amount of puree. A well made pate will always taste sweet, but the fruit flavor should be the dominate characteristic. And it should never be cloyingly sweet.

See if you can find a copy of Gaston LeNotre's ICE CREAMS & CANDIES book. It has a number of PDF recipes that use time and temp to get to the proper pour point (though, as I recall, he puts the pectin in toward the end of the process). That will save getting a refractometer, as least for now.

I've had no luck making pates with Pomona (it's a citrus pectin). Do try to locate an apple pectin and run with that. It will absolutely do wonders for your frustration level.

Cheers,

Steve

[CSY]

Escry, John, Steve:

Thank You all for your guidance~

I will give kiwi one more try (at puree:sugar=2:1 w/o pectin), just to see if there's any beginners' luck to make this thing work(fat chance i know), but for research, it's worth the efforts(for me i mean).

And now i understand refractometer is essential, that way i don't have to guess.

When this is tackled, i will experiment on the Wine Jelly recommended, see how sweet that one is.

I think you can only find what you are looking for, so another must-do is to sample those ready-made top PDFs, like Ricchiuti's, or one by your PDF-house's.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.s. On pectin, just in case anyone would be interested, there're people out there making their own liquid apple pectin from raw apples. You can google that.

[sote23]

I don't have much experience in making them, and had a few questions. I made a pate de fruit to be the second level of a chocolate. The recipe called for alot of sugar. I was wondering is it possible to lower the sugar without effecting the quality of the pate de fruit? Is the sugar providing more than just sweetness? The pate de fruit came out fine, it's just way too sweet for my liking.

Luis

[alanamoana]

hey luis, there is a thread here somewhere that discusses pate de fruit and pectin (maybe the thread on andrew shotts' book?)...at any rate, sometimes it depends on what kind of fruit and what kind of pectin you're using. some pectins require a higher amount of sugar to work, some are activated by acid and some are activated with other things...

i think kerry knows more about this. in the mean time, i'll try to find the other thread.

[Kerry Beal]

Luis,

Did you add any tartaric or citric acid to the recipe? It helps cut the sweetness somewhat. Different pectins can allow you to use less sugar, but most recipes do use quite a bit.

What recipe were you using?