Food Recipes Desserts Candy Tamarind Jelly Candies Be the first to rate & review! Paola Velez's tamarind pâte de fruit is sweet, tangy, coated with fruity sugar, and altogether delicious. By Paola Velez Paola Velez Paola Velez has been a pastry content creator and influencer since co-founding Bakers Against Racism, a viral advocacy movement. The experienced executive pastry chef was named Pastry Chef of the Year by Esquire and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2020 and a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2021. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 12, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 1 hr Chill Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 9 hrs Yield: 24 pieces Jump to recipe Pastry chef Paola Velez combines tamarind pulp with ingredients like fresh lime juice and liquid pectin to create a jiggly, fun sweet. To make the candies really sparkle — both figuratively and literally — she coats them in homemade flavored sugars. Cover and refrigerate the cooked jelly, store the finishing sugars airtight at room temperature, and you've got a unique treat ready to serve in minutes. The 5 Best Candy Thermometers for 2024, According to Our Tests Frequently asked questions What is the sugar coating made of? To make fruity sugar, Paola uses freeze-dried strawberries, bananas, and mangoes to create three different varieties. All you have to do is crush each fruit up in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin, then mix them with granulated sugar. For a sweet-sour finish, simply combine citric acid with granulated sugar. No matter which finishing sugar you choose, you'll end up with a beautiful result. The coating dissolves within an hour, so you'll want to cut and dredge your candies right before you're ready to eat. How do I cut fruit jellies? When you're ready to cut and serve the candy, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the baking dish and invert the tamarind jelly candy onto your work surface, removing the baking dish and aluminum foil but leaving the parchment underneath. How you cut them is up to you! Use a knife, lightly greased with cooking spray or butter, to cut the jelly into even cubes, or use a large round pastry tip to cut one-inch rounds or crescent moons. Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen If you've never made jelly candies before, this simple recipe is a great place to start. Essentially, instead of preparing a spreadable jelly, the fruit here is thickened enough to be sliceable. Using frozen tamarind pulp means there's no fruit to wash or slice; look for it at your local Mexican grocer if your supermarket doesn't carry it. You'll also need liquid pectin, which can usually be found in the baking aisle along with canning supplies. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients Jellies 2 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 (14-ounce) package frozen tamarind pulp, thawed 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 (6-ounce) container liquid pectin (3/4 cup) Fruity Sugars 1 ½ ounces each freeze-dried bananas, mango, and/or strawberries Granulated sugar (1/4 cup per flavor) Tangy Sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon citric acid Softened butter or cooking spray Directions Line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil; set aside. In a medium saucepan, stir tamarind puree, sugar, and lime juice to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 220°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until it melts; continue to cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in pectin and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, starts to gel, and reaches 220°F, about 1 minute. Immediately pour the tamarind mixture into the foil-lined baking dish. Let cool at least 8 hours (or overnight). Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 1 week. When ready to serve, make one or more Fruity Sugars: Place 1 ½ ounces of freeze-dried mango, banana, and/or strawberry in separate resealable plastic bags. Using a rolling pin, pulverize each variety of freeze-dried fruit to a fine powder (you could also use a food processor). Transfer each fruit powder to a small mixing bowl and stir in 1/4 cup sugar to each bowl. Repeat to create additional fruit coatings, if desired. If you like, make Tangy Sugar, too: Combine ¼ cup granulated sugar with citric acid in a small bowl. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of pan with tamarind pâte de fruit. Invert pan onto work surface; remove pan and foil. Run flat sides of sharp knife over the top of butter or spray with cooking spray to lightly coat. Trim uneven edges of pâte de fruit. Cut pâte de fruit into 1 1/2-inch squares, running knife over butter as needed to prevent sticking. Alternatively, use a large round pastry tip to cut 1-inch rounds. If desired, use tip to cut rounds into crescent-moon shapes. Working in batches, roll the pâte de fruit pieces in your choice of Fruity and/or Tangy Sugars. Enjoy right away. Farrah Skeiky Rate It Print