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Prune jam is not the most common type of preparation for the winter, but this dessert usually tastes excellent. At the same time, due to the high percentage of pectin in the plums, and, accordingly, their stickiness, the cooking process becomes easier, since it does not require the use of additional ingredients. Jam is also supported by the fact that eating it can have a beneficial effect on health - if you do not overdo it with the amount.
How to make prune jam for the winter correctly
Despite the fact that usually following the recipe allows you to make a high-quality and tasty dish, there are some peculiarities and general rules of preparation, following which can improve the taste or simplify the cooking process.
Let's name some rules that should be kept in mind when preparing pitted prune jam for the winter:
- Banks for blanks must be sterilized.
- Before use, it is advisable to soak prunes in boiling water for a short time.
- It is better to take prunes with pits and remove them yourself, since small pieces of pits may remain in fruits that are declared seedless. Otherwise, there is a possibility of tooth damage.
- In the recipes, the weight of prunes is indicated, excluding the seeds, respectively, the berries are weighed after removing the cores.
- It is more convenient to take small jars for storage, since jam is usually consumed more slowly than other types of blanks.
- Cooking time is shortened if no water is added.
- In order for the jam (or preserves) to boil more or less evenly, it is better to cook them not in a high saucepan, but in a basin or any other flat and wide container.
- Sugar is best added after the fruits are boiled.
- To make exactly jam, and not jam, plums are chopped in any convenient way.
- Before removing the seeds, the prunes are soaked in boiling water for several minutes.
Their own nuances arise in the process of choosing suitable fruits. It is worth paying attention to:
- taste - no bitter taste;
- color - it is better to choose fruits of black rather than brown;
- Density - Prunes should not be too dry or underdried, ideally plums should be firm and quite dense.
Classic Prune Jam Recipe
Ingredients:
- prunes - 600 g;
- sugar - 200 g;
- settled or boiled water.
Algorithm:
- The prunes are washed, the seeds are removed, poured into a saucepan and poured with water - so that it covers the fruits with two fingers. That is, 600 g of plums requires about a liter of water.Important! If desired, and for a higher viscosity, you can do without water - in this case, the prunes are crushed and boiled until softened.
- Boil the fruits until they soften and the water evaporates.
- Boiled berries are crushed.
- 100 ml of water is mixed with a glass of sugar and syrup is made.
- Milled berries are poured into the syrup and boiled, stirring, for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour into jars.
Jam from prunes through a meat grinder
You will need the following:
- a basin or large saucepan;
- meat grinder;
- 1 kg of prunes;
- 1 kg of sugar.
Preparation:
- The fruits are passed through a meat grinder, then transferred to a cooking container and sugar is added. Then mix. Alternatively, sugar can be added later, when the jam is already starting to boil down.
- Cook, stirring constantly. After boiling, the fire is increased.The cooking time, after the jam starts to boil, is half an hour.
- Turn off the stove and pour the finished product into sterilized jars.
From the specified amount, about a liter of jam is obtained.
Thick prune jam for the winter with pectin
This recipe is for really thick jam lovers. Since the plum itself contains a large amount of pectin, which gives the jam viscosity, an additional dose from the outside means that the final product will be much thicker. This should be taken into account during the cooking process.
Because pectin is a thickener and not an ingredient in its own right, it is added in moderation towards the end of the jam. A kilogram of prunes will require half a packet of apple pectin and a kilogram of sugar.
Thus, the cooking process might look like this.
- Shredded plums are transferred to a bowl, put on fire and boiled until they become soft. Optionally, you can add a glass of boiled water in case the jam starts to burn or gets too thick.
- After the prune puree has boiled and boiled for about 20 minutes, the pectin is mixed with sugar and poured into the basin.
- Cook for another ten minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and quickly pour into jars.
Pectin, if necessary, can be replaced with gelatin.
How to make spiced prune jam
The spices in the recipe can be replaced with any other to taste. For example, you can add fresh or dried ginger or cardamom.
Ingredients:
- pitted prunes - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- cloves;
- cinnamon - half a teaspoon;
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice or lemon.
Preparation:
- The prunes are scalded with boiling water, the bones are removed if necessary. Then passed through a meat grinder.
- Sugar is poured into the resulting puree, mixed and put on fire.
- After boiling, spices are poured and lemon juice is poured in or squeezed out.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for an hour and a half, stirring and skimming. After thickening, the jam is poured into sterilized jars and rolled up.
Chocolate prune jam recipe
Ingredients:
- a kilogram of prunes;
- 800 g granulated sugar;
- bitter or milk chocolate - 300 g.
Preparation:
- The prunes are halved or cut into small pieces and sprinkled with sugar.
- Leave to infuse for 5-6 hours. It is best to leave it overnight as it takes a long time to cook.
- Put on medium heat and cook until boiling. Remove the foam with a slotted spoon, remove the boiled jam from the heat and allow to cool for several hours.
- The procedure is repeated.
- Put the jam on the fire for the third time.
- While the plum puree is boiling for the third time, the chocolate is grated or chopped into pieces with a knife. Add to prunes.
- After boiling, boil for another 10-15 minutes, then remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars and roll them up.
Some recipes substitute cocoa powder for chocolate.
Then the recipe is changed as follows.
For a kilogram of prunes you need:
- 300 g granulated sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder;
- 80 g butter.
Prepare as follows:
- Twist the prepared prunes in a meat grinder.
- Mix the fruits with sugar and bring to a boil, stirring and removing the foam that appears.
- After boiling, boil for another half hour, pour out cocoa and add butter, mix.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
Rules for storing prune jam
The shelf life of prune jam directly depends on whether it was prepared with seeds or not:
- with seeds - the shelf life does not exceed two months;
- pitted - depends on how the blanks went, in particular, on the presence or absence of sterilization and rolling of the lids, but not less than three months.
If the jars with jam were previously sterilized and then rolled up, that is, we are talking about harvesting for the winter, then the longest period during which the product is usable is 2 years. Dessert uncovered for the winter can stand in the refrigerator for three months.
You can store the product at room temperature, the main thing is that the storage place is protected from sunlight. At the same time, the shelf life does not change - the jam is stored for about two years. In general, it is believed that jam and jam can be eaten even if the expiration dates have already passed, of course, if mold has not appeared and the smell of the product has not changed.
Conclusion
Prune jam is not a dish that is often found on the dinner table, as it usually takes a long time to prepare. However, the possible difficulties with following the recipe and the duration of preparation of the ingredients compensate for the taste of the dessert, as well as the fact that it can be prepared throughout the year, as the need arises. As with many other recipes, it is allowed to change the amount and type of spices, in accordance with the taste of the culinary specialist.
