Walnut Pastila

This rich Middle-Eastern confection is easy to make and sure to win you rave reviews. It slices easily for an after-dinner treat and makes a fabulous thank-you gift to take to your dinner hosts or to make for friends and family at Christmas or Easter. Pastila is great with any combo of nuts – try a mixture of pistachios and hazelnuts for a change.

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Annabel Langbein Media

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Walnut Pastila
2 cups pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
¼ cup honey
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup fresh orange juice
2 cups walnut pieces, pistachios or toasted, skinned hazelnuts
¾ cup desiccated or thread coconut

© Annabel Langbein Media 
https://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/walnut-pastila/825/

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Prep time:: 10 mins + chilling
Cook time:: 10 mins
Makes:: 2 logs

2 cups pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
¼ cup honey
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup fresh orange juice
2 cups walnut pieces, pistachios or toasted, skinned hazelnuts
¾ cup desiccated or thread coconut

Place prunes, sugar, honey and orange zest and juice in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, over a medium heat until the prunes are soft and the mixture comes together into a paste (about 10 minutes). To check whether it’s ready, place a small spoonful in a bowl of iced water or in the fridge for a couple of minutes – it is ready when it’s firm enough to be moulded, like toffee to soft-ball stage. Remove from the heat and stir in the walnuts.

Divide the coconut between two pieces of baking paper. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, divide it in half and form 2 evenly shaped logs, each about 30cm long. Roll in the coconut to coat, then roll up in the baking paper and refrigerate until set. Slice thinly to serve. Pastila keeps for a couple of months in a sealed container in the fridge or can be frozen.

This recipe is from my book The Free Range Cook: Through the Seasons

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4 comments

Hi Lmccloy, Sorry to hear you have had trouble with the presentation. It sounds like the pastila is not quite cool enough when you roll it in the coconut. Make sure you also have plenty of coconut to roll it in to. Hope this helps!

Annabel Langbein December 07, 2017

Hi Kursaal10, It is a bit tricky to make this one nut free because if you replace the nuts with more dried fruit it will be very sticky and sweet! You could try a Christmas cake without nuts or the Christmas Snowballs without the ground walnuts. Happy cooking!

Annabel Langbein December 07, 2017

This is delicious but I have trouble with the presentation. Hard to get a nice even coconut coverage, some gets soaked into mix, and hard to get a nice round log. I'm afraid it tends to look like something a dog might deposit on your lawn! 🙄 Should I cook it a bit longer?

Lmccloy December 26, 2016

Annabel, Do you have a nut free version of this recipe, or something similar that would be just as easy to make? Rachel

kursaal10 November 17, 2016