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Dessert

Preserved Plums

This recipe preserves plums with sugar and water, removing kernels and stones, and tests for readiness by string test.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Why it works: Plum and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,313 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓

Preserved Plums

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove the kernels from the plums.

  2. In a preserving pan, combine the plums and sugar.

Cook and test

  1. Cook over heat, stirring until done.

  2. To test, place a bit on a plate and press with your finger; if it leaves a string, it's done.

Finish the kernels

  1. Break the stones, remove the kernels, and soak them in hot water to remove the skin.

  2. Mix the kernels a few minutes before removing from heat.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Plum + sugartop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,313 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Reine claude or mirabelle plums
Supply the fruit, pulp, and natural pectin and acid that help the mixture set.
Sugar
Sweetens the fruit and, as it concentrates, helps preserve it and thicken the syrup.

The step that matters

Judging when the preserve is done. As water evaporates and sugar concentrates, the mixture thickens and sets on cooling. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while cooking too long makes it stiff and dense. The plate test shows whether it is ready.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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