flipApple pastila — the travel sweet for tours
Apple pastila — the travel sweet for tours
Why this dish? An international soprano lives on planes and in hotel rooms, from the Met to La Scala. Pastila, a Russian confection of dried apple that keeps and travels without spoiling, is the sweet from home slipped into a suitcase — sweet, light, dairy-free and cold-free.
A Russian fruit marshmallow: tart apple puree, whipped with a little egg white and honey, then dried slowly until tender and airy. It travels for weeks without losing any of its sweetness.
Do you know what I miss most on tour, between Vienna and New York? The taste of home. So I always keep in my suitcase a few squares of pastila, that apple sweet that used to be dried all night in the oven. Light as a cloud, just tart enough, and nothing cold to shock the throat. A square with my boiling hot tea in a foreign dressing room, and Russia is there again, close to me.
- •Sour apples (antonovka) — a large basket (fruit base)
- •Honey — several spoonfuls (sweetener)
- •Egg white — one or two (aerating agent)
Apple pastila — the travel sweet for tours
A Russian fruit marshmallow: tart apple puree, whipped with a little egg white and honey, then dried slowly until tender and airy. It travels for weeks without losing any of its sweetness.
Why this dish? An international soprano lives on planes and in hotel rooms, from the Met to La Scala. Pastila, a Russian confection of dried apple that keeps and travels without spoiling, is the sweet from home slipped into a suitcase — sweet, light, dairy-free and cold-free.
Do you know what I miss most on tour, between Vienna and New York? The taste of home. So I always keep in my suitcase a few squares of pastila, that apple sweet that used to be dried all night in the oven. Light as a cloud, just tart enough, and nothing cold to shock the throat. A square with my boiling hot tea in a foreign dressing room, and Russia is there again, close to me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sour apples (antonovka) — a large basket (fruit base)
- Honey — several spoonfuls (sweetener)
- Egg white — one or two (aerating agent)
Ingredients
- Tart apples (Granny Smith or Boskoop) — 1 kg (fruit base)
- Honey or sugar — 100 g (sweetener)
- Egg white — 1 (aerating agent)
Method
- Bake the whole apples at 180°C until soft, then pass them through a sieve to obtain a smooth, thick puree.
- Reduce the puree over low heat to dry it slightly, add the honey, and let cool.
- Whip the egg white to stiff peaks, gently fold it into the cold puree, whisking until the mixture lightens.
- Spread the paste in an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Dry very slowly in the oven at 60-70°C with the door ajar (or in a dehydrator) for 6-8 hours, until supple and not sticky.
- Cut into strips or squares; roll or stack and store in an airtight container.
How it was made : Pastila is a Russian confection attested for centuries, famous in the towns of Kolomna and Belyov. It was made from very tart local apples, beaten for a long time and then dried for days in the declining heat of the masonry stove. Before the arrival of sugar, honey sweetened it, and its exceptional keeping quality made it a winter and travel sweet.
The contemporary twist : Cut into thin rolled ribbons dusted with powdered sugar, pastila becomes a refined dressing-room mignardise, to offer to the chorus on opening night.
Anna Netrebko · Charactorium
