Pear, Apple, and Plum Butter
Three-fruit povydlo (a thick, cooked-down fruit butter, close to what Americans call apple butter) is a practical way to use a mixed autumn haul when you’ve gathered a little of everything. Each fruit pulls its weight: the apple supplies pectin and body, the pear brings honeyed sweetness, and the plum adds tartness and a dark, almost amber color. Cooked together, they reduce to a smooth, dense mass firm enough to slice with a knife.
Cooking tricks
Running the fruit through a meat grinder instead of straining it is deliberate: the skins and fine fibers stay in, making the butter thicker and richer. Cook it in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot and don’t wander off — the thick mass scorches and spatters. Add the sugar and vinegar only at the end; early sugar slows the set, while the vinegar acts as a natural preservative and lifts the fruit’s acidity.
Test it the old way: draw a spoon across the bottom of the pot — the trail should hold and not close up at once. Drying the filled jars in a low oven forms a firm skin on top that guards against mold. This butter is equally at home on toast, as a filling for rugelach, or in a shortcrust pie.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 288 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Rinse all the fruit in cold water. Peel and core the apples and pears; remove the stems and pits from the plums.
Mix the prepared fruit together and run it through a meat grinder.
Put the resulting purée into a wide pot and, stirring constantly, cook until thickened.
Then add the sugar and vinegar and cook a little longer.
Once the butter has thickened well, spoon it into jars and dry it out in the oven.
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