Plum purée, also known as powidl, preparation

A homemade plum jam or purée is definitely a special type of fruit preserve. Do not even think about the ones sold in many supermarkets as these are nothing but a mixture full of sugar and various flavour enhancers. They often resemble jelly of some kind rather than food. These substitutes are dark in colour too, but the taste and the texture are very different. We shall tell you how to prepare the real plum purée in the classic way. The only “non-organic” ingredient we used was an electrically powered mixing device…

Plums and water and that’s it

That’s right. You will not need any other ingredients but you will need proper equipment which includes a large boiler and furnace. Oh yes and an electric mixing device of some kind. Cooking is easy. Just make sure that you clean the boiler or large container thoroughly. It needs to take 5 to 7 litres of water and approximately 20 kg of plums. Pour it all in the container boiler and heat it up, and switch on the mixing device. The mixing device will be working throughout the entire cooking process – until all plums are thoroughly cooked. Otherwise, you will not get the proper colour.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

You need to do some pressing too

When all plums are thoroughly cooked you need to pass them through a sieve. Turn off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Now, you pour the mixture onto the sieve and press it through. Use small whisks to do so. After straining, turn the heat on again and pour the mixture back into the boiler.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

The last step

Now you need to stir the mixture constantly. After while, you may reduce the heat to make the mixture thicker. You also need to keep tasting. And how do you know that your plum purée has been cooked enough? Well, take a spoon and scoop the purée and turn the spoon upside down. If the purée holds you cooked enough. Now, pour the mixture into suitable containers and store in cool place. We used stoneware pots and covered them with a baking paper.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

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Preview photo: Radek Štěpán