These pastilles are really Pâtes de Fruits, a traditional French set fruit paste brought out with the petit four at the end of a meal. Rue du Bac, one of my favourite streets in Paris and home to a number of the city’s finest patisseries, sells the best. Whenever I visit the city, I return with boxes of glittering, immaculately packed Pâtes de Fruits crammed into every spare inch of space. They are the perfect gift, although I can’t promise they always make it to their intended recipient. These pastilles are my homage to that little taste of Paris.
Ingredients
- Raspberries 1 kg
- Caster (superfine) Sugar 825 g, plus 120 g extra for dusting
- Pectin Powder 60 g
Cook it
- Line a 9 x 13 inch tin with two wide sheets of plastic wrap, allowing plenty of overhang on all sides to help you lift the pastilles out when they are set. Use kitchen clips to hold the sides in place.
- Put the raspberries into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Set a strainer over a non-stick pan and pass the raspberry purée through to remove the seeds.
- Add the sugar and pectin powder to the purée, stir well to combine, then set over a medium heat. Use a sugar thermometer to monitor the temperature, and bring to the boil, stirring regularly until really thick. Once the mixture reaches 220°F, remove from the heat and pour into the prepared tin.
- Set the tin aside until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and completely set, then slice into squares and toss in the extra sugar to coat.
NOTES
SHELF LIFE: These keep for up to a week wrapped tightly or stored in an airtight container.
HOW TO POST: Pack these tightly in a single layer, wrapped in cellophane then tissue paper. If sending a mixed box, pack these near the top to avoid them getting squashed.
Recipe adapted slightly from Sweet Deliveries: Over 60 Cakes, Cookies and Other Treats to Send by Mail by Lucy Burton © 2022 with permission of Welbeck Publishing Group. Photography © 2022 by Nassima Rothacker.
