Macarons.info

Confitures are fruits that have been thickened, and preserved with sugar. Because each confiture needs just the right ratio of fruit, sugar, pectin and acid to set, it is recommended that you follow a recipe exactly as it is presented to assure that it gels properly. Macaron fillings should harmoniously balance the sweetness of the cookie and be have a consistency that keeps them from oozing out from the edges. We have included definitions of different types confitures to aid in choosing the right macaron filling for your needs.

• Jam is made from a single variety of fruit that has been crushed or chopped, and then heated to allow the pectin to gel. Less firm than jelly, jam should spread easily, be fresh with flavor, and not have any distinct pieces of fruit in it.
• Jelly is similar to jam, except that a juice is filtered out from the fruit pulp after the initial heating. This produces a confiture that is clear, fresh with flavor and just firm enough to hold its shape.
• Preserves are a cross between jam and jelly in that whole fruits, or pieces of whole fruits, are suspended in a jelly. Like jam, this confiture is made from a single variety of fruit.
• Conserves can be made like either jam or preserves, except that it may contain more than a single variety of fruit in it. Conserves may also contain nuts, dried fruits, coconut and citrus fruits
• Marmalade is a conserve that contains small pieces peel from one or many different varieties of citrus. While traditional marmalade balances the confiture’s sweetness with the bitterness of the citrus rind, Americans often make marmalades with little or no bitterness at all.
• Fruit Curds are intensely flavored spreads made from fruit juice, eggs and butter. Fruit curds are primarily made from citrus, although any fruit may be used.
• Fruit Butter is simply a fruit pulp that has been cooked into a thick paste. While sugar can be cooked with the fruit, many fruit butters are sweetened with honey when the mixture has finished cooking down to keep it from becoming to sweet.
• Fruit Spread is a term that signifies that no sugar has been added. The sweetness only comes from the sugars found naturally in the fruit.

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