Zefir / apple zephyr (Russian seafoam candy)
Airy, soft, fruity, aromatic and very tasty is the apple zephyr. According to this recipe, you can make the popular Russian seafoam candy yourself with just four ingredients. It tastes delicious with a cup of unsweetened tea for dessert after a meal, is ideal for snacking between meals or even as a gift.
Servings 12 pieces
Equipment
- kitchen thermometer
- piping bag with star nozzle
Ingredients
- 1 egg white (cold)
for the apple puree
- about 400 g apples (sour, underripe)
for the apple jam
- 150 g apple puree (cold)
- 120 g sugar
for the sugar syrup
- 250 g sugar
- 100 ml water (cold)
- 7 g agar agar (preferably gel strength 900)
for rolling
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Making the apple puree
- Core apples and cut them in half. Spread them with the cut side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 180 °C top and bottom heat for about 25 minutes until they become very soft.
- Puree the baked apples with a hand blender and then pass them through a fine sieve so that you get a fine apple puree.
Making the apple jam
- Weigh 150 g of apple puree and put it in a saucepan. Add sugar, bring to a boil while stirring, then simmer for 2-3 minutes or longer if your apple puree was too runny. (Be sure to follow my notes here above for this).
- Transfer the apple jam to a clean screw-top jar, let it cool at room temperature first, and then put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Making the zefir
- Put the apple jam and egg white in a mixing bowl and whip until very stiff, starting at a low speed of the food processor and gradually increasing it to maximum.
- Cook the sugar syrup in parallel. (If you use a hand mixer, first beat the apple and egg white mixture until stiff and then cook the sugar syrup). To do this, place the sugar, agar-agar, and water in a small saucepan with high sides and a thick bottom, bring to a boil while stirring constantly, and then simmer over low heat, stirring, until the sugar syrup reaches 110°C.
- Once the sugar syrup has reached the required temperature, slowly add it in a thin stream to the stiffly whipped apple and egg white mixture, without stopping to continue beating it. Then whip the mixture again for about 3 - 5 minutes until very stiff.
- Fill the zefir mixture into the piping bag with the star nozzle, pipe rosettes of it on a sheet of baking paper (I made each rosette in two layers.) and let them dry at room temperature for about 12 hours, until the zefir becomes firm on the outside and inside.
- Take two rosettes at a time and glue them together with the underside, which should be a little sticky. Roll the finished zefir in powdered sugar, shaking off the excess powdered sugar.
Notes
- Use sour, underripe apples. Alternatively, cook the apple jam longer to evaporate the excess liquid, or prepare the jam with some pectin powder. Once cooled, the apple jam needs to set. (Follow my notes for this here above).
- Use good quality fresh high gel strength agar agar (900 if possible). If the zephyr has not set after drying, you can try using a larger amount of agar agar next time.
- Apple jam and egg white must be cold before whipping.
- The necessary temperature of the sugar syrup is very important. The firmness of the zefir depends on it. It is best to use a kitchen thermometer to measure it.
- Whip the apple jam and egg white mixture until very stiff before adding the sugar syrup.
- Depending on the room temperature and humidity, the zephyr may take about 12 - 48 hours to dry until it becomes stable from the inside as well.
- Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the apple zephyr at the top of the post.