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.
- 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
leave a comment
You must be logged in to add comments, click here to join.
4 comments