over-zealously stewe plums... any ideas to make them more palatable?

[aforkcalledspoon]

I added too much sugar when i stewed some frozen italian prune plums and now it's more like gloopy jam. Not jam-like enough to make a good spread, just creates a sodden mess. Any ideas on how you would eat them, if at all (my kids won't touch them with a ten foot pole)?

[cimui]

Drain off the liquid and use for cocktails if you drink. Otherwise, water down with water until the sweetness is to taste. If the plum flavor is too weak at that point, add lemon, lime, pomegranate or other juice.

Take the remaining stewed plums, puree and use in place of oil or butter in baking (esp. muffins and sweet breads). A one-to-one ratio should work okay if the plums are about the consistency of prune butter. You'll want to reduce the amount of sugar a recipe calls for, too, and possibly some of the liquid depending on how much liquid you leave in the plums.

[aforkcalledspoon]

that is exactly the kind of precise instructions I need, being a haphazard klutz in the kitchen, thank you

[cimui]

gosh, you'd be hard pressed to be a bigger klutz than me, esp. baking. i convert / rename messed up projects all the time. i really only know the prune butter trick from my mom, who's a complete health nut. it would work best if you squeezed out as much juice from the plums as possible before pureeing and in recipes where you don't mind a slightly denser texture... and a bit of a plummy taste, of course!

i guess if worse comes to worse, an even easier solution would be just to puree the liquids and solids together and mix it with seltzer (like an italian soda) or into batches of smoothies, fruit punch or sangria. i bet it'd be really nice in drinks, actually.

[aforkcalledspoon]

I won't argue with you, but my specialty is blackened, bitter garlic crisps (I always turn away from the stove), and eggshell omelettes :) Great idea about the seltzer. I tried it in a milk based smoothie and something about the texture just didn't tantalize me (think mucousy chunks), but then I only have an immersion blender. thanks

[alkapal]

do i HAVE to think "mucousy chunks"?

[aforkcalledspoon]

Well I will not tell a lie. Would a real blender vs an immersion blender "demucousify" ?

[alkapal]

gosh, now i have to think of them yet again!

and, yes, use a real blender. i'd use yogurt and not milk, too.

[aforkcalledspoon]

aaah, yogurt is a great tip. No more mention of the you know what :)

[alkapal]

bless you, my child! p.s., sometimes a wee bit of fresh or frozen strawberries with sugar will liven things up! naners, too! also, i like vanilla yogurt for the smoothie.

[cimui]

>>eggshell omelettes

pish posh. a little extra calcium never hurt anyone. ;)

[aforkcalledspoon]

True enough, I will tell my children that they needn't drink their milk with dinner that night! :)

[alkapal]

sound perfect to make a cobbler, if you still have them. http://www.chow.com/recipes/13522

[LindaWhit]

what about cooking up some apples and onions with some vinegar and grated ginger and mixing it together for a plum relish?

I've got a plum chutney or plum relish recipe in my Mastercook files at home (can't recall the exact name of it to see if it comes up in Google) that I could post when I get home. I usually use about 6-10 black plums in this recipe and freeze the relish in small half-cup containers for use in the winter.

ETA: I remember the name of the recipe I make - Plum Ketchup. I can't recall off the top of my head where I got it from (Good Housekeeping or Country Living, maybe?), but it is excellent. I'll post tonight if you want - or you can Google several different recipes out there.

[aforkcalledspoon]

thank you ver much linda. I love that idea as I eat almost everything in a sweet/salty/sour/spicy combo. I will just google to save you the bother but thanks for offering.

[LindaWhit]

No need to Google - I'm home and checked MasterCook and found out where I got the recipe - Eating Well Magazine (or a cookbook of my sister's). I found it online:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/plu...

No additional "chunkier" items as I had noted above in my first response, but if yours is like a gloopy jam as you said in your original post, perhaps cooking it down a bit more with the additional ingredients (vinegar, garlic, ginger, allspice, red pepper and cinnamon stick) will give it a good "tang".

It is seriously good on sandwiches, as a topping for chicken or pork, etc.

[aforkcalledspoon]

thanks for taking the time to find it. I will do this definitely!

[todao]

Add some lemon juice and/or use them in a bread, cake or muffins.

[aforkcalledspoon]

Just as they are? Like replacing bananas in a banana bread recipe?

[dmd_kc]

Sounds like a wonderful basis for a soup, especially something with sausage or beans -- maybe a chili.

You'd probably be able to pair it with some flavorful cheese and chopped garlic on pizza to great effect. In fact, it sounds like it'd be worth it to make a batch just for that.

[aforkcalledspoon]

great idea! never would have thought of it, but it definitely needs something salty to cut into the cloying sweetness. thanks!

[Jme]

Sounds like they'd be good swirled into some plain (greek-style, preferably) yogurt.

[jen kalb]

Im doing this with some nice prune jam from france - delicious. Id cook your mash down a bit if it is too liquid and add some lemon juice til the flavor comes into balance. You can also used prune jam as a filling for pastry

[aforkcalledspoon]

I was worried it was too wet to fill pastry with but I guess I could strain it off? (wit a super wide mesh as I said it is more gloopy than anything else)

[jen kalb]

I think you could cook it down - or maybe strain through a cheescloth -the usually filling is lekvar, prune butter.It has a little orange or lemon flavor in it.

[aforkcalledspoon]

thanks, do people buy this stuff premade? or they make from scratch?

[missclaudy]

Stew up some other fruit like a few apples and add alot of lemon juice and cook it all together.Cinnamon sticks too.

[aforkcalledspoon]

Thank for the idea, but after a prolonged stay in the hospital, applesauce make my hair curl.

[missclaudy]

Use peaches, plums, berries instead.