Apricot pastilles at home

Content

1 Methods for preparing the base of the marshmallow
2 Drying methods
3 Apricot marshmallow recipes
4 How to store
5 Useful Tips

Pastila is a confectionery product obtained by drying the crushed mass from berries or fruits. Its important component is honey, which can be replaced with sugar. Apricot dessert has a wonderful taste and bright orange color. The addition of nuts helps to diversify its taste.

Methods for preparing marshmallow base

For the preparation of marshmallows, ripe apricots of sweet varieties are used. Pre-wash the fruit, remove dirt and rotten areas. The bones are thrown away.

For softening, the fruits are heat treated, but raw fruits can also be used. Apricots can be processed by boiling in a saucepan and adding water. The fruit pieces are also placed in the oven and baked for 15 minutes.

The pulp of the fruit is crushed in any convenient way:

manually with a knife;
blender or food processor;
through a meat grinder;
using a sieve.

Drying methods

Pastila is considered finished if its top layer loses its stickiness. You can dry apricot puree in one of the following ways:

Outside. In regions with a warm climate, it is sufficient to leave the processed apricots in the fresh air. The prepared mass is spread on baking sheets in a thin layer. Under the sun in hot weather, the whole process takes from one day to a week.
In the oven. To dry the marshmallow, a temperature of 60 to 100 degrees is required. The apricot mixture will harden for 3 to 7 hours.
In the dryer. There are special devices designed for drying vegetables and berries. Crushed apricots are placed on special trays, which are provided in the dryer. Dessert will be cooked in 3-7 hours at a temperature of 70 degrees.

The finished product is rolled up or cut into square or rectangular pieces. Pastila is served with tea as a dessert.

Apricot marshmallow recipes

To prepare the apricot marshmallow, you need to process the fruit into puree. To do this, use a blender, meat grinder or food processor. In addition to apricots, honey or nuts can be added to the prepared mass.

Classic recipe

According to the classical technology, a minimum set of ingredients is required to prepare an apricot dessert. It is enough to select ripe fruits, prepare a large enamel container, a sieve and a baking sheet.

The traditional way of making apricot marshmallow:

Apricots (2 kg) must be washed and halved. Bones and rotten areas are removed.
Fruits are put in containers and poured into 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. The mass is stirred and put on low heat. If the fruits are sweet enough, then you can skip using sugar.
The mass is constantly stirred to obtain a uniform consistency. Stirring will prevent the puree from burning.
When the pulp is boiled, it is rubbed through a sieve.
A baking sheet is greased with vegetable oil or parchment paper is placed on it.
Place apricot puree on top with a layer of 0.5 cm.
The baking sheet is kept for 3-4 days in a ventilated area.
On day 4, the dessert is turned over and kept in similar conditions for another day.
The finished marshmallow is rolled up and put into the refrigerator.

With citric acid

Citric acid is a preservative and thickens the fruit mass. The process of making pastille with citric acid includes several stages:

Ripe apricots (1 kg) are pitted and cut into halves.
The fruit is placed in a saucepan and covered with a glass of water.
The container with apricots is placed on moderate heat.When the boil begins, the fire is muted and the cooking is continued for 10 minutes.
When the fruits become soft, they are rubbed through a sieve.
Add 0.2 kg of sugar to the resulting puree, mix and put on high heat.
When boiling begins, stir the contents of the container. The pastila is continued to cook over minimal heat.
When the mass thickens, add 0.8 kg of sugar, a glass of water and a pinch of citric acid to it. Then simmer until the water has completely evaporated.
Spread hot mashed potatoes on a baking sheet or other dish. The mixture is kept in an electric dryer for 3 hours.
Before serving, the marshmallow is cut in a convenient way.

With nuts

Step-by-step process for preparing apricot pastille with nuts:

Ripe apricots (2 kg) are pitted and rolled twice through a meat grinder.
The puree is transferred to a saucepan and cooked over low heat. It is important not to allow the mass to boil.
Add 0.8 kg of granulated sugar to the hot puree. The mass is thoroughly mixed.
Almonds or other nuts to taste (200 g) are chopped with a knife.
Add the nuts to the apricots and mix thoroughly.
The mass is left to simmer over low heat.
When the volume of apricot puree is reduced by 2 times, it is transferred to trays. The permissible layer is from 5 to 15 mm.
The baking sheet is moved to an oven or electric dryer.
The finished product is rolled or cut into cubes.

Apricot marshmallow in the dryer

The electric dryer allows you to preserve the beneficial properties and taste of berries and fruits. Such devices are equipped with pallets with sides, where the fruit mass is placed. On average, the process of preparing a dessert in an electric dryer takes 12 hours.

Apricot marshmallow recipe:

Fresh apricots (1 kg) are pitted. The pulp is chopped in a food processor or blender.
Sugar is added to the mashed potatoes to taste, after which it is mixed well.
The drier tray is wiped with a cotton pad moistened with vegetable oil.
Put mashed potatoes in a tray. Its surface is leveled with a spoon.
The pallet is placed in a dryer, which is covered with a lid.
The device is turned on for 12 hours. You can check the readiness of the product by its consistency. The sheets should easily peel off the surface of the pallet.

Apricot marshmallow in the oven

A regular oven is suitable for making apricot marshmallows. Dessert will cook faster than outdoors.

Oven Apricot Pastille Recipe:

Apricots (1 kg) should be washed well. Divide the pulp in half and remove the bones.
The apricot halves are placed in a saucepan and poured over with 1 glass of water. The mass is boiled for 10 minutes until the fruits soften.
The pulp is rubbed through a sieve or chopped in a blender.
The resulting mass is cooked over low heat, stirring constantly. When its volume is reduced by 2 times, the tile is turned off.
Spread paper on a baking sheet and grease it with vegetable oil. Distribute apricot puree on top with a layer of up to 2 cm.
The oven is turned on at 60 degrees and a baking sheet is placed in it.
The apricot mass is dried within 3 hours. Turn it over periodically.
When the surface of the dessert is hard, it is taken out of the oven and rolled into a roll.

Apricot marshmallow without cooking

To prepare the marshmallow, it is not necessary to cook the apricot mass. There is a simple recipe for an apricot dessert without cooking:

Ripe apricots need to be washed and pitted.
The fruits are crushed with a mixer to obtain a homogeneous mass.
Add 2 tbsp to the mass. l. fresh honey.
The resulting puree is spread on a baking sheet covered with cling film.
The surface is leveled to form a layer no more than 0.5 cm thick.
Cover the marshmallow with gauze on top.
Transfer the baking sheet to a sunny place.
When the surface is dry, put the dessert in the refrigerator.

How to store

The shelf life of apricot marshmallow is limited. It is kept both indoors and in the refrigerator. At low temperatures, the dessert is stored for 3-4 months.

If the apricot mass has not been cooked, then the storage period of the pastille is reduced to 30 days. To extend the shelf life of the dessert, it is placed in glass jars and covered with lids.

Useful Tips

The following tips will help you get delicious apricot marshmallow:

use ripe apricots, if the fruits are not ripe, the dessert will acquire a bitter taste;
if the apricots are sweet enough, you can reduce the amount of sugar or completely eliminate it;
the thinner the marshmallow layer, the longer its shelf life;
dry well not only the top, but also the bottom layer of the dessert;
if you grind the apricots through a sieve, then the dessert will turn out to be more uniform, but it will harden longer;
in addition to apricots, apples, quince, pear, raspberry, plum are added to the marshmallow.

Apricot marshmallow is a delicious and healthy dessert made from fresh fruits and a sweetener. The easiest way to prepare the marshmallow is using an oven or dryer. The pulp of the fruit is crushed using a sieve, blender or other devices.