Delicious prunes are sold in markets and in almost every grocery store. This is a useful product from which you can prepare various dishes. How can you cook prunes at home? The popular preparation methods will allow you to create delicious desserts.
Features of preparing prunes
To create a dessert, it is better to choose large berries.It is advisable to use fruits that have dark skin and weigh 35-40 g.
If the plums are large, the pits should be removed. But even in small and medium fruits it is advisable to eliminate them. If you cook fruits on a baking sheet, it is advisable to place them cut side up.
Although a lot of time is spent on creating prunes, the result is still justified. After all, there will be no chemicals in this product, so it is absolutely safe for humans.
Preparation of the main ingredient
To create a healthy treat, you should sort out the berries. It is important that the fruits are not soft and overripe. Before drying, wash the berries and remove the stems.
Blanching is required. The berries are placed in a colander, then in boiling water with the addition of soda (1 spoon per 1 liter of water). This allows you to remove wax deposits. Then they need to be washed in cold water and scattered on a towel to dry.
How to cook prunes at home?
There are various recipes for creating a delicious treat. Whatever cooking method is chosen, the result is a healthy dessert. The nuances of cooking, depending on the method, vary slightly.
Natural drying without sugar
Plums can be prepared naturally. They are divided into halves, removing the seeds. Then the fruits need to be laid out on a flat surface. The cuts should “look” up. Drying is done under the sun for 4-5 days.
In the evening, the fruits need to be removed indoors and taken out again in the morning. They are turned over regularly to ensure even drying. After this, the fruits should be left in the shade for 3-4 days.
Determining whether the product is ready is easy. When pressed, no juice should flow out of it. The prunes turn out elastic and hard.
How to dry prunes in the oven?
Preparing the product is easy in the oven. The plums need to be blanched, washed in cold water and left to dry on a towel. If the fruits are divided into halves, then this procedure is not performed. Oven drying includes the following steps:
- The oven is preheated to 50 degrees. Place a baking tray with fruits in it for 5 hours. The plums should cool for the same amount of time.
- Then the berries are turned over and dried for 5 hours at temperatures up to 70 degrees.
- At the end, the oven is heated to 75 degrees.
In order for prunes to acquire a glossy surface, they do not need to be treated with anything additional. If you raise the temperature to 120 degrees a couple of minutes before the fruit is ready, the resulting sugar will caramelize the fruit, which will become shiny.
Sweet prunes
Even if you don’t seal the fruits in jars as a dessert, you can always make a delicious treat from them. Sweet prunes are made like this:
- Plums should not be divided into halves. You just need to remove the seeds.
- The fruits should be covered with granulated sugar in an amount of 3:1. Leave it like this for a day. It is important to stir the plum regularly.
- When syrup forms, the dessert is brought to a boil. After boiling, turn off the stove. The dessert is stirred so that all the fruits are covered with syrup.
- Then the composition cools down - the fruits are better saturated with the sugar composition. When the mass has cooled, place it in a colander and let the liquid drain. The halves are transferred to parchment and placed in the oven. Drying is carried out for 3-4 hours. Higher temperatures speed up the process.
- Then the cream should dry at room conditions.
- Sugar syrup should not be eliminated. It is suitable for liqueurs and compotes.
- The resulting prunes should be elastic.
The fruits are suitable as a dessert or for filling pies.Prunes are also added to marinades for meat - the dish will have a pleasant taste and aroma.
Drying in an electric dryer
The fruits can not only be rolled into jars, but also made into prunes. Berries need to be placed on a pallet. The cuts should be at the top. Drying is easy:
- For 3-4 hours - at 45-55 degrees.
- For the next 6 hours, the fruits are cooked at 60 degrees.
- The temperature should be 75-80 degrees for the last 6 hours.
After an hour, the trays must be swapped so that the fruits are of high quality. After each stage a multi-hour break is required.
What can you make from prunes for the winter?
Desserts for the winter are not only prepared from fresh products. Dried berries are also suitable for this. This product is used by housewives to prepare the following desserts.
To make jam you will need:
- prunes – 1 kg;
- granulated sugar – 200-300 g;
- vanilla sugar – 2 tsp.
Place the fruits in a saucepan and add a few tablespoons of water. Everything is cooked until the plums are softened. Then sugar is added and everything is cooked for 10 minutes. You can remove the dessert from the stove and add vanilla sugar. The jam is poured into jars and covered with lids. The containers are turned over and left to cool.
The berries also make a delicious compote. For filling you need:
- water – 1 l;
- granulated sugar – 300-350 g.
The berries should be immersed in boiling water for 10 seconds and then in cold water. Afterwards they are placed in jars and filling is added.
Prunes also make an excellent syrup. Required:
- prune juice – 1 liter;
- granulated sugar – 1.5 kg;
- citric acid – 10 g.
The berries are crushed and left for 1-2 days. Squeeze out the juice and strain. Then sugar and citric acid are added. It should be heated to 85 degrees. The syrup needs to be poured into jars.
Many other dishes are prepared using dried plums. If you use homemade fruits for this, the desserts turn out especially tasty, which is why adults and children love them so much.
