A homemade lemon zefir made from apple puree takes about 20 minutes of active cooking and yields 17 pieces. The recipe uses agar-agar rather than gelatin, making it suitable for vegetarians.
Zefir is a soft Eastern European sweet similar to marshmallow, most often sold in white or pink. The lemon version uses apple puree as its flavour base.
Ingredients
The recipe calls for 200 grams of apple puree, 40 grams of lemon jam, the zest of one lemon, 8 grams of agar-agar, 300 grams of sugar, two egg whites, a pinch of citric acid, 150 millilitres of water, a pinch of lemon food colouring and powdered sugar for finishing.
Method
Peeled, cored apples are simmered with one tablespoon of sugar and 20 millilitres of water for 20 minutes, then blended smooth and chilled. Ready-made apple puree can be used instead. The puree is then combined in a saucepan with the jam, zest, 150 grams of the sugar, agar-agar, food colouring and water.
Egg whites are beaten with the remaining 150 grams of sugar to stiff peaks, then citric acid is added and the mixture beaten for one more minute. The syrup is cooked to 106 degrees Celsius over high heat, or for exactly six minutes after a strong boil if no thermometer is available.
Hot syrup is poured in a thin stream into the beaten whites on low mixer speed, then the speed is raised to maximum until the mixture holds firm peaks. The mixture must be transferred to a piping bag and piped onto parchment paper immediately, then refrigerated overnight. The recipe cautions that any delay will cause the mixture to lose its structure.
Finished pieces are dusted with powdered sugar before serving.
