Pelamushi

Ingredients

Must

• 1.5 litresfresh grape juice or grape must
• or 1.5 litres bottled red grape juice, unsweetened

Thickener

• 150 gfine maize flour
• 50 gplain flour, optional

Also

• 100 gsugar, only if the juice is sour
• a pinch of salt

To finish

• chopped walnuts
• or gozinaki, walnut and honey brittle

To serve

• cold, cut into squares, dusted with walnuts

Directions

1. Taste it first, since good grape juice may need no sugar and adding it makes the pudding cloying.
2. Take a cup of the cold juice and whisk the flour into it until completely smooth. Never add dry flour to hot liquid, which forms lumps instantly and they will not disperse however long you stir.
3. Whisk it thoroughly and then strain the slurry through a sieve to catch any lumps that formed anyway. That sieving takes a minute and it is the difference between a smooth pudding and a lumpy one.
4. Pour the slurry in slowly while whisking constantly. Keep whisking without pause from the moment it goes in, since the mixture thickens quickly and unevenly at first. Now the cooking, which needs constant attention and takes longer than you expect.
5. Cook it over a medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. It will thicken within a few minutes, and then it needs a further twenty-five to thirty minutes of cooking.
6. Work quickly, since it stiffens as it cools and cannot be smoothed once it starts to set. Pour it into shallow dishes to about two centimetres deep, or into individual bowls. Smooth the surface with a wet spatula.
7. Let it set for at least four hours, and overnight is better. It keeps four or five days refrigerated and it is served cold.

Technique

• The same mixture, tatara, is what churchkhela is dipped in.
• Maize flour is not cornflour and gives a quite different set.
• It must be cooked a full half hour after thickening to lose the raw flour taste.

Substitutions

• Unsweetened bottled red grape juice in place of fresh must.
• A little wheat flour with the maize, for a firmer set.

Variations

• Made with white grape must, for a paler pudding.
• Poured over strung walnuts to make churchkhela.
• Set with a layer of walnuts through the middle.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pelamushi?

Pelamushi is a dessert from Georgia: thick grape-must pudding set in squares.

How long does Pelamushi take to make?

Pelamushi takes 15 min of preparation and 40 min, plus setting of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pelamushi?

Yes, within limits. Unsweetened bottled red grape juice in place of fresh must. A little wheat flour with the maize, for a firmer set.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pelamushi?

Take a cup of the cold juice and whisk the flour into it until completely smooth. Never add dry flour to hot liquid, which forms lumps instantly and they will not disperse however long you stir.