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Strawberry Pastilles

Source of Recipe

From "Handmade Gifts from the Kitchen" by Alison Walker


Recipe Introduction

"Take full advantage of any glut of strawberries, either from your garden or a trip to a local pick-your-own farm, and transform this summery fruit into chewy, luscious jellies, which will lengthen the time you can enjoy the wonderful taste of these delicious berries."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 pound 2 ounces strawberries, hulled
◦  2¼ cups gelling sugar *
◦  Juice of ½ lemon
◦  Superfine sugar, for sprinkling


Recipe

Dampen an 11-inch x 7-inch baking pan with water and then line with plastic wrap.

Put the strawberries in a food processor and purée until smooth. Put this purée, along with the sugar and lemon juice into a nonstick pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. (* If you don't have gelling sugar, use the same amount of granulated sugar and add the amount of pectin suggested on the package.)

Bring to a boil and cook steadily, stirring constantly until the purée is very thick - it'll take around 15 minutes. Pay close attention, as once it starts to thicken it is prone to catching on the bottom of the pan.

Next, pour into the prepared baking pan, spread out evenly with the back of a spoon, and let set overnight in a cool place.

Turn out onto a chopping board and cut into squares (I make mine around ¾-inch square or use a small heart cutter.) Sprinkle plenty of superfine sugar onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll the jelly cubes in the sugar to coat. These pastilles keep for four weeks in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag.


Makes about 1 pound 7 ounces