2 1/2 lbs tart apples (if you’re outside Russia, Granny Smith makes a good substitution for Antonovka)
1/2 c honey
1 egg white at room temperature
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Wash the apples, core them, and place them into a shallow, oven-safe dish.
Bake the apples for 45-60 minutes until they are mushy.
Remove the apples from the oven, and allow them to cool completely. (For now, turn off the oven.) With a blender, process the apple flesh and skin until smooth.
Put 2 cups of puree, honey, and egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer (or get out your handheld mixer and the largest mixing bowl you have). Whip the apple mixture for 5-10 minutes, making sure to scrape down the sides occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven once again, this time to 212º F with convection fan on. Line a 9x14" baking dish with parchment paper.
When the apple foam is whipped and soft peaks nicely, reserve about a cup and put it in the fridge.
Spread the remaining apple foam into the dish, about 2 cm thick.
Bake for 3 hours, opening the oven to release moist air every 30 minutes.
Take the dish out of the oven, place parchment paper on top, turn the tray over and carefully peel baking paper from the bottom.
Bake for another 2 hours on the other side, opening the oven to release moist air every 30 minutes.
Take the baked pastila from the oven, turn it over on a lined bench top and cut into 3 equal rectangles.
Stack the rectangles, using the mixture from the fridge as a thin mortar between the layers, and then cover the sides and top with a thin layer of the mixture.
Return the pastila to the oven and bake for another 2 hours, opening the oven to release moist air every 30 minutes.
Let the pastila cool completely, and then dust with powdered sugar, cinnamon, hazelnut flour, etc. and cut into tasty shapes.
The pastilla can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for several weeks.