Homemade Plum Pastila (Fruit Leather)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients. To make homemade plum pastila, you'll need 1 kg (about 2 1/4 lb) of plums and 100 g (about 1/2 cup) of sugar.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the plums well, cut them in half, and remove the pits.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the plums in a saucepan.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cover the saucepan with a lid and set it over medium heat.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cook for about 15 minutes, until all the plums soften and release their juice. If the plums are firm, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan.

6. Step 6:

   

   Purée the plums with an immersion blender until smooth. Blend as thoroughly as you can — there shouldn't be any bits of skin in the finished purée. You can also pass it through a sieve.

7. Step 7:

   

   Stir the sugar into the plum purée until it fully dissolves. My plums were sweet, so this amount of sugar was enough; if yours are tart, add more. Return the pan to the heat and cook the purée over low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10-15 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Line a baking sheet with parchment. Pour the plum purée over it and smooth it out evenly with a spatula. The plum layer shouldn't be more than 1/4 inch (7 mm) thick, or the pastila will take too long to dry. Put the sheet in an oven preheated to 210°F (100°C) and dry the pastila for about 4-6 hours with the door propped open. Properly dried pastila springs back when pressed but stays slightly tacky.

9. Step 9:

   

   Carefully cut the pastila, parchment and all, into strips.

10. Step 10:

    

    Peel off the parchment. You can cut each strip crosswise and roll it up.

11. Step 11:

    

    For easy storage, wrap each roll in parchment and tie it with string. Keep the pastila in an airtight jar in a cool, dark, dry place. Enjoy!