I came close to liking a guava pâte de fruits, but then it cooled down…

If you recall my first guava article, you are fully aware of my distaste for this fruit. What am I saying? You know about my unfounded fear of the ripe version of this fruit. To this day, I have not made peace with it. But I am trying.

It is in that spirit that I set out to prepare a guava pate de fruit this past weekend. I had chosen to go that route because last August I had cooked a perfect batch of mulberry pate de fruit that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thus thought trying the same with guavas would help me (finally) acquire a taste for this fruit. That did not quite work out as I hoped it would.

The guavas simply (once more) failed to conquer my palate.

I must however say that they came close to doing so. Throughout the cooking process, I thought I had finally overcome my dislike for this fruit. The warm concoction had my palate singing happy music notes. Though I had decided to prepare it simply with the fruit puree, some sugar and pectin, without any outside flavors, it had a strong and pleasant lime taste. I was so enchanted with the flavors that I even tried to convince my sister, who hates guavas as much as I do, to try it. She wouldn’t have it. Perhaps she knew that I was just living an illusion, and that the lime flavor was a lure. Because it was.

Though I practically finger-licked the cooking pot, I couldn’t get past the first tiny bite I took of the pate de fruit once it cooled down and set.

Somehow, the lime taste I enjoyed with the warm mixture had vanished in the cooling process. All that was left was the typical guava flavor I am still struggling to accept. Needless to say, I did not eat any more of that concoction of mine.

So why am I sharing my recipe with you? Simply because all the guava eaters who tried it loved it. I received high praises from both family and friends.  That is what convinced me to share this recipe with you. Plus, I am sure I approached that treat with a biased palate. The same one that remains scarred from my childhood horror story.  Unfortunately, I believe that, until my taste buds fully heal from those scars, I will struggle with any guava dish that doesn’t alter the fruit’s flavor.

Now, if like me, you are not a guava fan, don’t rush off. This recipe is perfect with a different fruit juice. I should know. I followed this exact one for my mulberry pate de fruit below.

Homemade guava pate de fruit

While some recipes call for frozen fruit, I'd rather prepare this pate de fruit with real fruit. If you're not a guava fan, substitute any other fruit for the guava. I followed those same steps for my mulberry pate de fruit.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Ingredients

  

For the puree

• 6 guavas or 1lb of fruit of your choice
• water

For the pate de fruit

• 1 cup of guava puree or any fruit of your liking
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tbsp of pectin

Instructions

 

For the puree

• Wash the guavas and cut them in half
• Transfer to a cooking pot
• Cover with water and boil for about 20 minutes
• Once the fruit is soft, transfer to a blender
• Puree it and strain
• Measure 1 cup of puree

For the pate de fruit

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Mix the pectin and sugar
• Transfer to a thick bottom pan along with 1 cup of the puree
• Cook the mixture under medium heat and stir constantly until it thickens
• This process will take about 20 minutes
• Turn of the heat and pour the mixture over the parchment lined sheet
• Let cool at room temperature overnight. I cover mine with the parchment paper
• Once it has fully set, dust your pâte de fruit with sugar and cut it into squares
• Eat or preserve in a glass jar with a tight lid