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

[John DePaula]

There's some good info here:

What is "g" pectin?

especially if you're looking to reduce the amount of sugar in your Pates.

[sote23]

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?

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I have not used those or heard of those. I'm not too familiar with pate de fruit.

I am using g-pectin by the way.

luis

[sote23]

John,

I took a look at that thread. It did answer my question. I need to get pomona's universal pectin, which is designed to gel with low or no sugar in the recipe. It's exactly what I was looking for.

thanks

Luis

Edited April 28, 2007 by sote23 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

John,

I took a look at that thread. It did answer my question. I need to get pomona's universal pectin, which is designed to gel with low or no sugar in the recipe. It's exactly what I was looking for.

thanks

Luis

←

Luis,

If you are going to make your pates de fruit layer with a lot less sugar, you had better do some shelf life experiments. The sugar is important for the antifungal and antibacterial effects.

[sote23]

John,

I took a look at that thread. It did answer my question. I need to get pomona's universal pectin, which is designed to gel with low or no sugar in the recipe. It's exactly what I was looking for.

thanks

Luis

←

Luis,

If you are going to make your pates de fruit layer with a lot less sugar, you had better do some shelf life experiments. The sugar is important for the antifungal and antibacterial effects.

←

hi kerry,

I never thought of that. I might have to rethink my stratagy.

Luis

[aidensnd2]

So I have some pate de fruit that I let get too dry before I tried to roll them in sugar and now the sugar won't adhere. Does anyone have any ideas how to 'stickify' the pate?

Thanks

[CalumC]

Could you slightly heat the edges of the pate, perhaps softening the fruit a little, so that the sugar than adheres. Seems a tricky situation, maybe a very slight brush of water to the sides would do it.

[Fugu]

Apricot glaze might work? If it is does not have kiwi or pineapple, gelatine might also work?

[plk]

I would think a super fine mist with a spray bottle or a quick pass-over with a kitchen torch would do it. Test on one first, though.

[Kerry Beal]

If you have a clothes steamer, just steam the surface for a couple of seconds before throwing in the sugar.

[Boodles]

U could reboil it with the addition of water. Cook until desired thickness is reached. This would be your best way of getting it moist again.

[Kerry Beal]

U could reboil it with the addition of water. Cook until desired thickness is reached. This would be your best way of getting it moist again.

←

When you've added acid at the end of the cooking the pates de fruit don't melt readily, so recooking them wouldn't be an option.

The subject of the "Back to Basics" series of the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners Association meeting this year was jellies. A batch of pectin orange slices was made, shaken out of the starch and steamed (with one of those Shark steamers) before being thrown into a coating pan with coarse sugar. Apparently in production the jellies are sent through a steamer before hitting the sugar.

An attempt to steam gummies before coating them with nonpariels wasn't as sucessful because the gelatin is not heat stable like the pectin.

[Boodles]

I've reboiled fruit pate a few times now, and some have been very thick and tough, and have had no problems doing this.

I suppose it also depends on if they are home made or bought or what type (ie what fruit base they are) as the ingredients/cooking process will determine whether or not boiling it is an option.

[aidensnd2]

Well it turned out to be much easier to fix than I thought. I just brushed them with a bit of water and then wiped off the excess and it worked fine. I had thought of doing that before but was thinking that the moisture would just melt the sugar but it actually worked perfectly. I had also tried hitting them with a torch, warming them in the oven, putting them in a hot oven and steaming them for a couple of seconds but none of those worked. I have recooked batches before but the results weren't as good after being cooked twice and it was a major pain to try to get it all to melt before burning and it took a long long time.

Thanks for the replies.

[pastrypez]

Made some Pate de Fruit in school on Friday and we'll be cutting into it tomorrow and taking a look at it. I'll take some pics and upload the recipe if it turns out! My notes indicate that we used apple pectin though we did discuss the use of agar.

[prairiegirl]

What is the shelf life for pate de fruit?

[Kerry Beal]

What is the shelf life for pate de fruit?

←

I've found it's usually still fine after several months.

[cakedecorator1968]

HI,

My apolpgy if this has been asked before.

I have a few frozen Boiron Fruit puree's, citric acid powder and slow set apple pectin powder. I think I'm set???

In one recipe I saw it asked for using applesauce in the recipe along with added pectin. Necessary?

Questions:

How do I make the pate de fruit? How do I mix together everything?

Do I really need a fancy confectionary frame to pour it out into?

What temperature do I cook it to?

Do I really need a high scale refractometer?

[John DePaula]

HI,

My apolpgy if this has been asked before.

I have a few frozen Boiron Fruit puree's, citric acid powder and slow set apple pectin powder. I think I'm set???

In one recipe I saw it asked for using applesauce in the recipe along with added pectin. Necessary?

Questions:

How do I make the pate de fruit? How do I mix together everything?

Do I really need a fancy confectionary frame to pour it out into?

What temperature do I cook it to?

Do I really need a high scale refractometer?

←

Take a look at the Boiron site: General Instructions for Making Pates de fruits

You can use lemon juice in place of tartaric acid.

It is not necessary (or desirable) to add applesauce.

If you do not have glucose, it is possible to substitute corn syrup.

You do not need a fancy confectionary frame. Instead, you can line a cookie sheet with foil that has been lightly oiled or buttered. Take a look at the book 'Candymaking' by Kendrick and Atkinson for good beginner info. You can also use molds made of high temp silicone.

ETA: I've heard that some folks buy rectangular wooden dowels at the hardware store, cut to size, and wrapped in foil, then oiled, to use for confectionary frames. You could then place these on a silpat.

You do not need a refractometer, but it is useful for consistency from batch to batch. You do need a good thermometer.

Hope this helps.

Edited November 13, 2007 by John DePaula (log)

[Kerry Beal]

John has it covered. Those are the same recipes I use with the boiron purees. I do half batches and have my metal rulers on a silpat spaced out to make a square of about 10 by 10 inches.

If you decide you want tartaric acid check in a wine making place - they usually have it. Alternately a pharmacy can bring it in for you.

Let us know how it goes.

[JWest]

Make sure to skim any impurities out...usually it all comes up to the top after it starts boiling. This will help with consistency in your product and reduce any cloudiness in your pate de fruit. I'm not sure how the others feel but I find it best to keep them room temperature and not chilled...once you're finished- otherwise you'll end up with an unfavorable texture and stickiness.

[JWest]

HI,

My apolpgy if this has been asked before.

I have a few frozen Boiron Fruit puree's, citric acid powder and slow set apple pectin powder. I think I'm set???

In one recipe I saw it asked for using applesauce in the recipe along with added pectin. Necessary?

Questions:

How do I make the pate de fruit? How do I mix together everything?

Do I really need a fancy confectionary frame to pour it out into?

What temperature do I cook it to?

Do I really need a high scale refractometer?

←

Take a look at the Boiron site: General Instructions for Making Pates de fruits

You can use lemon juice in place of tartaric acid.

It is not necessary (or desirable) to add applesauce.

If you do not have glucose, it is possible to substitute corn syrup.

You do not need a fancy confectionary frame. Instead, you can line a cookie sheet with foil that has been lightly oiled or buttered. Take a look at the book 'Candymaking' by Kendrick and Atkinson for good beginner info. You can also use molds made of high temp silicone.

ETA: I've heard that some folks buy rectangular wooden dowels at the hardware store, cut to size, and wrapped in foil, then oiled, to use for confectionary frames. You could then place these on a silpat.

You do not need a refractometer, but it is useful for consistency from batch to batch. You do need a good thermometer.

Hope this helps.

←

I use citric acid but I am curious, what does tartaric acid do for the pate de fruits?

[Kerry Beal]

From Food Product Design

Citric and tartaric acids, being more hydrophilic than other food acids, impart a sourness that dissipates quickly. Their rapid dissipation gives these acids a clean, bright flavor effect, often a benefit in beverage applications. Sourness from less-hydrophilic acids, like acetic, fumaric and malic, will persist, and this allows developers to balance the taste of high-intensity sweeteners with sourness. 

Beyond sourness, acids' flavor characters vary. Citric acid, the most widely used food acid in today's food and beverage industries, provides a sharp, yet clean and refreshing, tart taste. Acetic acid has a very volatile, pungent flavor, often lending the aroma of vinegar. The refreshing sourness of green apples comes from malic acid. In fact, all fruits (except tamarinds, which are actually seedpods) contain some malic acid, often blending with other acids to create the unique taste of each fruit. Malic offers a smooth lingering tartness. Fermentation of malic acid yields lactic acid -- with its lingering mild taste, and subtle dairy aroma. Malolactic fermentation in wine results in a more-rich, buttery taste, versus the fresh fruity taste of malic acid. Tartaric acid lends a more-sharp taste than the other acids and is responsible for the distinctively hard taste of tamarinds. Fumaric is derived from malic acid. It is the strongest of the organic acids, with a taste that is clean and persistent, and it has a unique dryness.

I wonder if I could find some malic acid for my green apple pate de fruit?

[Tri2Cook]

I wonder if I could find some malic acid for my green apple pate de fruit?

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HERE ya go.

It's HERE too. A little more expensive here but their printed prices include everything except the shipping, no taxes, duties or brokerages due, so it may work out cheaper in the long run. They have pretty good prices on other things as well (agar and egg white powder for example). The first time I ordered from them I was a bit worried about quality (after experiencing some of the crap in the bins in a bulk store not too far from where I live) but everything's been fine so far.

Edited November 14, 2007 by Tri2Cook (log)

[JWest]

I don't remember seeing anything on this...does citric acid have anything to do with the effectiveness of the pectin? Would I need to add more pectin if there's more citric acid added to the recipe?