Pastila made from apples and physalis
I use homemade apples as the base for my pastila, adding pears, plums, and grapes. But these are classic recipes. If you have the desire and opportunity, you can experiment endlessly with the pastila's ingredients. I liked the apple and chokeberry pastila with its slightly tart aftertaste.
Gather the ingredients for making the pastila according to the list. You'll need apples, ripe ground cherries, and sugar. It's best to use firm apples. The strawberry ground cherries should be fully ripe and bright yellow-orange.
Remove the dried sepals from the physalis. Rinse the berries in hot water, then transfer to a colander to drain off excess water.
Wash the apples and cut them into thin slices, after cutting out the seed chamber.
Place the physalis, sliced apples, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Shake the pan to distribute the sugar between the berries and apple slices. Let the saucepan sit for a few hours to allow the fruit to release its juices. I left mine overnight. If the apples are very juicy, they will release their juices in 2-3 hours.
Once the sugar is moist, place the pan over low heat. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring, until the apples and berries are completely softened. Cooking time will vary depending on the apple variety. I simmered on low heat for about 30 minutes to ensure the ingredients were as soft as possible.
Using an immersion blender, puree the ingredients until smooth. The consistency should be like medium-thick sour cream. I taste it – it's already very tasty and sweet.
Grease the pastila trays with a minimal amount (literally 2-3 drops) of vegetable oil. A paper towel or cotton pad works well for this. Place the puree on the trays to a thickness of approximately 5-7 mm. Place the trays on the dehydrator, close the lid, and turn on the appliance. If you have a temperature controller, set it to 55-60 degrees Celsius.
During drying, be sure to swap the top and bottom trays for even and faster drying. My pastila was ready in 11 hours.
The finished apple and physalis pastila has no wet spots. It's flexible, elastic, doesn't stick to your hands, and easily peels off the tray and rolls into a roll.
Roll the pastila into a roll and cut it into portions. The physalis seeds give the pastila a unique texture.
It is better to store pastila in a glass jar with a lid or a tightly sealed plastic container in the refrigerator.
How delicious! The pastila turned out very sweet, despite the fact that I only used 1 tablespoon of sugar for 2 kg of ingredients. During the drying process, the moisture from the puree evaporates, and the sugar concentration increases. Therefore, for such a thin pastila, sugar is needed in minimal quantities.
