WELCOME TO PLUMS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 912, 1 February 1957, Page 22

WELCOME TO PLUMS

LUMS are a real stand-by to the housewife. They are generally very plentiful, each variety following the other in quick succession, and are useful not only by themselves but because they combine so well with the less plentiful and more expensive berries and currants. The tartness of some kinds, when used as stewed fruit, is due usually to the skins, so strain them before serving, or cook them in a syrup instead of water. Boil up % cup of sugar with 2 cups water for 6 minutes or so and drop the plums in to simmer gently till cooked. The skins will probably be ready to slip off when dishing them and straining will not be necessary — it may tend to make the fruit squashy. Plum and Berry Jam Boil till soft 4 lb. plums and 2 cups water. Press carefully through sieve leaving only skins and stones. Add 2 Ib. loganberries, strawberries or raspberries to pulp and bring back to boil. Then add gradually 54 lb. warmed sugar and stir well over moderate heat until sugar is properly dissolved. Bring up heat and boil fast until jam will set when tested on cold plate. You can vary this jam according to fruit available. Barely cover plums with water in preserving pan or saucepan and boil till soft; then strain. Bring back to boil, adding an equal quantity of berries, or less, or more, according to what you have. When berries are cooked, measure all with a cup and add the same number of cups of sugar except one (8 cups of pulp, 7 cups of sugar). Warm sugar first,'so that it will dissolve quickly. Stir until you are sure it is properly dissolved, then give the jam a rolling boil until it will set when tested (perhaps % hour). Pulping of Fruit This is an excellent way of preserving fruit ready for making into jam or sauce, or for use in pies and tarts later. By pulping it is preserved until needed and can be made up a little at a time, as sugar is available. Boil the fruit till soft and pulpy using only enough water to prevent burning. Soft berry fruit and tomatoes should be crushed against the sides of pan to draw sufficient juice to commence cooking and no water will be needed. Harder fruits need a little water, according to kind. When all is pulpy fill hot sterilised jars one by one to overflowing with boiling pulp and seal airtight immediately. When making into jam bring pulp.to boil, add cup for cup of sugar, stir till dissolved and boil fast till jam will set when tested. For plum pulp boil fruit well, strain through a sieve to remove stones, then reboil and bottle as above. Plum Jelly Dessert _ Make a syrup with about % pint water and 2 tablespoons sugar boiled a few minutes. Drop in about 1 Ib. small plums and cook slowly till soft, keeping them whole. Lift them out into a serving dish; make up the syrup to a pint with water and with it make up a packet of any jelly crystals preferred. Have ready a pint of custard, just cooling, and beat this into the jelly as it is beginning to set. Pour this over the plums in the dish and leave fill firm. Serve with cream. Plum Bavarian Two dessertspoons (1 oz.) gelatine, 1% cups (% pint) plum juice, % cup hot water, cooked plums (6 or 9 accord-

ing to size) with stones removed, sugar to taste, 1 dessertspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind, 1%, pint whipped

cream. Dissolve’ gelatine in _hot water, add plum juice, lemon juice, rind, and sugar. Leave until thickening, carefully add plums and fold in whipped. cream. Place in a mould or serving bowl. If setting in refrigerator use less gelatine — 1% dessertspoons. Good Plum Jelly (A Dessert) About 1 dozen large plums, sugar and water, 42 oz. gelatine, 1 egg yolk and 2 egg whites, % pint milk, % teacup cream. Stew the plums with sugar to taste and very little water. Then drain — ows o

and rub through a coarse sieve.’ Have sufficient to make 12 pint of pulp. Make a boiled custard with the milk and egg yolk and when cold add to plum pulp with a little castor sugar. Whisk the cream thick, and stir in lightly. Dissolve the gelatine in 2 tablespoons syrup, add to the mixture and stir well. Taste to see if sweet enough. When mixture begins to set, fold in stiffly-beaten whites and turn into wet mould to set. Decorate with whipped cream and hundreds and thousands. Plum and Raspberry Jam ' Six pounds cherry plums, 6 1b. sugar, 3 1b. raspberries, 1 cup water. Boil plums in water and remove stones, add raspberries and sugar. Cook 20 minutes, then test. Half this quantity of jam can be made, if desired. Another Plum and Raspberry Jam Cover 3 lb. red plums with water, boil for an hour, strain through colander. Put 7 lb. good sound raspberries in preserving pan, add plum pulp, cook fruit for a few minutes and slowly add 10 lb, sugar. Add pinch salt. Bring to boil and boil quickly 30 minutes, or until it will set. Fresh Plum Shape This is practically the same as old "Dr. Johnson’s Pudding" made with apple. It is easy and quite good, uses up stale bread and children generally like it. Cook about 11% Ib. fresh plums in about 1 teacup water, adding 2 tablespoons sugar; when soft, remove stones. Line a pudding basin or mould neatly with slices of stale bread. Cut these into wedge-like pieces and fit them. neatly round the sides, with a round piece of bread at bottom, Carefully soak this lining with some of the plum juice, Now