Pelamushi

The story

Pelamushi is a Georgian dessert with a clear sense of place. Pelamushi is a Georgian grape pudding closely related to the tatara used to coat churchkhela. It makes direct culinary use of grape juice beyond wine. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 1000 ml red grape juiceunsweetened
• 90 g plain flour
• 30 g cornflour
• 80 g Walnutstoasted and chopped
• 50 g pomegranate seedsoptionaloptional

Method

1. Whisk 250 ml cold grape juice with

   Whisk 250 ml cold grape juice with the flour and cornflour until completely smooth. Strain if necessary; small flour lumps are difficult to remove after heating.

   Look for: completely smooth Tip: Keep the heat moderate and cook long enough for the raw flour taste to disappear before setting. Avoid: Flour lumps, scorching and undercooking are the main problems; overly aggressive thickening makes a rubbery pudding.

2. Bring the remaining grape juice just to

   Bring the remaining grape juice just to a simmer in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the cold flour mixture in a thin stream.

3. Cook over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes,

   Cook over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the corners of the pan. The mixture will darken slightly and become glossy.

4. Taste a small cooled dab

   Taste a small cooled dab. If it still tastes floury, continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes; do not simply raise the heat, which can scorch the grape sugars.

5. Pour into lightly dampened bowls or moulds

   Pour into lightly dampened bowls or moulds. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours until softly set.

   Look for: softly set

6. Unmould or serve in bowls, scattering with

   Unmould or serve in bowls, scattering with toasted walnuts and optional pomegranate seeds just before eating.

   Look for: The pudding coats the spoon thickly when hot and sets into a clean but soft slice after chilling.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.