P
Pate de fruit is a traditional
French confection made from fruit puree, sugar and pectin. Pectin is a natural
thickening agent used in jams and jellies, and gives pate de fruit its firm,
jelly-like texture. In this week’s blog post, we’re sharing tips from Chef Josh
Johnson with Guittard Chocolate Company on how to achieve two distinct applications
for pate de fruit by using a different type of pectin.
Pictured above are two distinct applications for pate de fruit. The confection on the left used G pectin to achieve a slab pate de fruit, where NH pectin helped achieve a softer, more fluid texture that could be piped into the chocolate shell on the right.
G
Pectin
If you’re looking for a classic
pate de fruit, G pectin is the way to go. Pate de fruit normally has a firm
set, like a fruit jelly. Once set, it remains stable and can’t be manipulated. For
an enrobed (or slab) piece, G pectin will achieve a firm consistency
that cuts nicely on a guitar cutter. G pectin also offers a slower set time and
a very nice fluidity when poured into a frame. This is key in being able to
pour multiple frames without the product setting too quickly.
G pectin is a mixture of yellow
pectin, dextrose and citric acid which work together to achieve the aforementioned
qualities. Be sure to not switch yellow pectin for G pectin, or the other
way around, because the results will be drastically different.
NH
Pectin
NH pectin can be used to create a softer texture, which can be stirred or blended to a smooth consistency. Once completely cooled, it can be piped perfectly into moulded chocolate shells. NH pectin is primarily used in glazes for different pastry applications, because it can be remelted and remain homogenous as a liquid glaze. NH pectin is also called “thermo-reversible pectin.”
It’s
important to understand the effects of different types of pectin to achieve your desired confectionery application. Click here to download Chef Josh's recipes for chocolate raspberry bon bons (pictured above) featuring pate de fruit that utilizes G pectin or NH pectin to achieve two distinctly different results.
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