12 Days of Prunemas: Prune Green Tea Sour Gummies (Vegan/Gluten Free)
Day 10 of Prune Christmas - but make it Sour Patch, Vegan and Gluten Free!
This is a post for all subscribers sponsored by CAPrunes. It is the tenth of 12 posts over 12 days, celebrating ways to enjoy delicious prunes.
The tenth day is for refocusing on the reason for the season. It is a rare rest day in the Christmastide festivities - likely because there has been a party every couple days now and Twelfth Night is just ahead.
Our reason for the season the year? PRUNES. They have been shining bright all Christmastide, but today we are making a three ingredient treat that lets them truly sparkle- Prune Green Tea Sour Gummies. Sure we could just make gummies, but then we’d be letting our Sour Patch loving inner child down wouldn't we? We can’t do that, not during Christmastide! So it’s Day 10 and I’m obsessed. Can you pick a favorite prune child? Because these are mine - so addictive and easily popped in your mouth as a sweet little bite. I really can’t wait for you to make these!
Prune Green Tea Sour Gummies. These beauties are inspired by Japanese Umeboshi - a Japanese plum pickled when it is just the right stage of ripeness. They are one of my favorite floral sour treats. I often like to play with the “state” of fruit, bringing the end bake elements of the fresh garden as much as possible to make you feel like you were right there when it was picked and let loose it’s first aroma into the air.
To mimic the color and vegetal taste these have, in our treat I’ve paired prunes with Japanese Tamaryokucha Green Tea. This tea has the loveliest grassy taste with notes of berries and almond. The almond layers beautifully with the prune. Can you just smell yourself into that orchard?
I used these incredibly cute kids fruit cutters to punch out different shapes, again I went for a flower reminiscent of the plum blossom - where it all begins. But you could also just cut traditional squares. This recipe uses agar agar, a seaweed extract with strong setting power. The best part about agar agar is that it can be reheated, melted and reset any number of times meaning: 1) You can adjust your set with less or more agar AND 2) all the scraps you make from punching out candies, can be made into a new layer to punch out more candies! We’ll also be using Malic Acid, perhaps the lesser known cousin to Citric Acid. Rather than citrus, it derives from green apples. The sour is lighter and fruitier, making it a perfect pairing here. If you want a bigger pucker, add some Citric Acid as well.
Prune Green Tea Sour Gummies
Makes 50-60 bite sized Candies
600ml water
25g Tamaryokucha green tea, loose leaf
4 prunes
20g agar agar
800g sugar
200g sugar for rolling
15g malic acid
Method:
In a small pot bring water to a boil and pour over tea leaves. Steep for 2 minutes and strain, reserving liquid and discarding solids. Add prunes and let sit for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to break up prunes very fine. Strain again.
Pour strained liquid back into small pot. Add sugar and agar agar, using a whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour onto a quarter sheet tray. Chill for 1 hour in your fridge.
Mix rolling sugar and malic acid together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust four sourness. Remove set fruit layer from fridge and cut out shapes. Drop shapes into sugar mixture and coat completely. Set on a plate or rack to dry out a bit as you coat remaining candies. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks.
Note: Candy has a firm set like pate de fruit. Use less agar agar if you’d like a slightly softer jellier feel. These will be slightly harder to punch out, so go for a larger cutter.
Candies can be recoated as needed to prevent sticking. Using a white sugar is easier than cane sugar here because it is naturally drier. If you decide to swap out different fruits, dextrose can be used on particularly sticky gummies instead of sugar.
Happy Tenth Day of Christmastide!
xoxox
P.s. A little more magic and sparkle for you!
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