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Pastila is a confectionery product obtained by drying a crushed mass of berries or fruits. Its important component is honey, which can be replaced with sugar. Apricot dessert has a great taste and bright orange color. The addition of nuts helps to diversify its taste.
Methods for making pasta base
For the preparation of marshmallow, ripe apricots of sweet varieties are used. Pre-fruits are washed, dirt and rotten areas are removed. The bones are thrown away.
To soften the fruits, they are subjected to heat treatment, but raw fruits can also be used. You can process apricots by boiling in a saucepan with the addition of water. Pieces of fruit 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 ready if its top layer loses stickiness. You can dry the apricot puree in one of the following ways:
- On the street. In regions with a warm climate, it is enough to leave 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. Drying marshmallow requires a temperature of 60 to 100 degrees. The process of solidification of the apricot mixture will be from 3 to 7 hours.
- In the dryer. There are special devices designed for drying vegetables and berries. Chopped apricots are put on special pallets, which are provided in the dryer. The dessert will be prepared 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 apricot marshmallow, you need to process the fruit into a 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 enameled container, a sieve and a baking sheet.
The traditional way to prepare apricot marshmallow:
- Apricots (2 kg) should be washed and cut in half. Bones and rotten areas are eliminated.
- Fruits are put in containers and poured 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. The mass is stirred and put on a slow fire. If the fruits are sweet enough, then you can not use sugar.
- The mass is constantly stirred to obtain a uniform consistency. Stirring will prevent the puree from burning.
- When the pulp is boiled soft, it is ground through a sieve.
- A baking sheet is greased with vegetable oil or parchment paper is placed on it.
- Apricot puree is placed on top with a layer of 0,5 cm.
- The baking sheet is kept for 3-4 days in a ventilated room.
- On the 4th day, the dessert is turned over and kept in similar conditions for another day.
- The finished marshmallow is rolled up and put in the refrigerator.
With citric acid
Citric acid is a preservative and contributes to the thickening of the fruit mass. The process of making marshmallow with citric acid includes several stages:
- Ripe apricots (1 kg) are pitted and divided into halves.
- Fruits are placed in a saucepan and poured with a glass of water.
- A container with apricots is placed on a moderate fire. When boiling begins, the fire is muffled and cooking is continued for 10 minutes.
- When the fruits become soft, they are ground through a sieve.
- 0,2 kg of sugar is added to the resulting puree, mixed and put on high heat.
- When boiling begins, the contents of the container are mixed. Pastila continues to cook on minimal heat.
- When the mass thickens, 0,8 kg of sugar, a glass of water and a pinch of citric acid are added to it. Then boil over low heat until the water has completely evaporated.
- Spread hot puree on a baking sheet or other utensils. 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 of making apricot marshmallow with nuts:
- Ripe apricots (2 kg) are pitted and scrolled twice through a meat grinder.
- The puree is transferred to a saucepan and boiled over low heat. It is important not to allow the mass to boil.
- 0,8 kg of granulated sugar is added to the hot puree. The mass is thoroughly mixed.
- Almonds or other nuts to taste (200 g) are crushed with a knife.
- Nuts are added to apricots and mixed thoroughly.
- The mass is left to languish over low heat.
- When the volume of apricot puree is reduced by 2 times, it is transferred to pallets. Permissible layer from 5 to 15 mm.
- The baking sheet is moved to the oven or electric dryer.
- The finished product is rolled up or cut into cubes.
Apricot marshmallow in the dryer
The electric dryer allows you to save 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 pastille recipe:
- Fresh apricots (1 kg) are pitted. The pulp is crushed in a food processor or blender.
- Sugar is added to taste in the puree, after which it is well mixed.
- The tray for the dryer is wiped with a cotton pad moistened with vegetable oil.
- Pour the puree into the tray. Its surface is leveled with a spoon.
- The pallet is placed in the dryer, which is closed with a lid.
- The device is turned on for 12 hours. You can check the readiness of the product by its consistency. Sheets should be easily separated from the surface of the pallet.
Apricot marshmallow in the oven
A conventional oven is suitable for making apricot marshmallow. Dessert will cook faster than outdoors.
Apricot marshmallow recipe in the oven:
- Apricots (1 kg) should be washed well. The pulp is divided in half and the bones are removed.
- Halves of apricots are placed in a saucepan and poured with 1 glass of water. The mass is boiled for 10 minutes until the fruits soften.
- The pulp is rubbed through a sieve or crushed in a blender.
- The resulting mass is boiled over low heat, stirring constantly. When its volume decreases by 2 times, the tile is turned off.
- Spread paper on a baking sheet and grease it with vegetable oil. Apricot puree is distributed on top with a layer 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 for 3 hours. Turn it over periodically.
- When the surface of the dessert becomes hard, it is removed from the oven and rolled into a roll.
Apricot pastille without cooking
To prepare marshmallow, it is not necessary to boil the apricot mass. There is a simple recipe for apricot dessert without cooking:
- Ripe apricots should 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 top with gauze.
- The baking sheet is transferred to a sunny place.
- When the surface dries, the dessert is removed in the refrigerator.
How to store
The shelf life of apricot marshmallow is limited. It is kept both at room conditions and in the refrigerator. At a low temperature, the dessert is stored for 3-4 months.
If the apricot mass was not subjected to heat treatment, then the shelf life of marshmallow is reduced to 30 days. To extend the shelf life of the dessert, it is placed in glass jars and closed with lids.
Useful Tips
The following tips will help you get a delicious apricot marshmallow:
- use ripe apricots, if the fruits are not ripe, the dessert will get a bitter aftertaste;
- if apricots are sweet enough, you can reduce the amount of sugar or completely abandon it;
- the thinner the layer of marshmallow, the longer its shelf life;
- dry well not only the top, but also the bottom layer of the dessert;
- if you rub the apricots through a sieve, then the dessert will turn out to be more uniform, but it will take longer to harden;
- in addition to apricots, apples, quince, pears, raspberries, plums are added to the marshmallow.
Apricot marshmallow is a delicious and healthy dessert made from fresh fruits and a sweetener. The easiest way to make marshmallows is using an oven or dryer. The pulp of the fruit is crushed using a sieve, blender or other devices.