Raspberry Pate de Fruits

Pate de Fruits, when I first saw these I knew that these were going to be on my to-do list. I loved the look of them. Myself not being a jam fan was still incredibly attracted to these beauts. I'm not sure if it was the colour, or what it was but these bad boys caught my eye. Every time I saw a blogger post about them I was becoming more and more anxious about making them. Finally after a weekend of being away and of not baking ONCE this is what I made. There was so little preparation required, and so little work throughout that it was fantastic. I had gotten home at ten at night, made the Pate de Fruits quickly, then went to sleep. Immediately jumped out of bed the next morning, just as if Santa had come the night before, and opened the fridge like a mad man. I was delighted that they had turned out. I wasn't even dressed yet, and had to be at work in thirty minutes, but to me, these were more important as to whether or not I would be late... I started cutting, and dipping in sugar. They looked glorious! They shined and they glimmered, they were like little jewels. I was so happy, I had finally made Pate de Fruits.

These were definitely RICH in flavour. They were insanely sweet. Good mind you, but incredibly sweet. If I made these again, I would definitely reduce the amount of sugar required for it. If I was making it with a more bitter fruit jam, such as blackberry I would certainly use this amount of sugar, but for an already sweet tasting fruit I don't think as much is required.

Ingredients:

• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup, seedless raspberry jam (or a cup of your favorite jam)
• Vegetable oil for coating the pan
• Additional granulated or superfine sugar for sugar coating

---> Pate de Fruits before being coated in sugar, nice and shiny in appearance.

Directions:

Oil an 8-inch square pan. Set it aside. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup water. Let the gelatin soften at room temperature until needed. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup water and the granulated sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Add the jam and stir until it melts into the syrup completely. Add the softened gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves completely.

Return the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the syrup into the prepared 8-inch pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator until the candy is set, at least 4 hours.

Use a wet knife to cut the candy into small squares. Using a narrow spatula dipped in water, carefully remove one square at a time and coat each one completely with sugar. Store the candies in layers, separated by wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Enjoy :)