CookEat Recipe
Tuscan Fruit Mostarda
A thick grape, apple and pear condiment with white mustard and candied citron.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 2 kg ripe sweet white grapes; 1 kg firm tart apples, weighed before peeling and coring; 2 large pears; 240 g white wine, preferably Vin Santo; 120 g candied citron, finely diced; 40 g white mustard powder; About 30 ml additional white wine, as needed to dissolve the mustard; A light dusting of ground cinnamon.
Step 2
Use sound fruit and discard any spoiled pieces. Wash the grapes, remove the stalks and crush without breaking the seeds. Immediately press through a clean food-safe cloth and reserve the fresh juice; do not leave the grapes to ferment. Peel and core the apples and pears and cut into thin slices.
Step 3
Put the apple and pear slices in a wide stainless-steel saucepan with the 240 g wine. Cook gently, stirring, until the fruit has absorbed the wine and very little free liquid remains. Add all the freshly pressed grape juice. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently and then almost continuously as it thickens, until it forms a dense fruit preserve with no watery liquid running out; allow about 60–120 minutes, depending on the juice yield and pan. Avoid scorching.
Step 4
Remove from the heat. Warm the additional wine and stir into the mustard powder to make a smooth loose paste, adding a little more wine if needed. Let the fruit cool only until it is no longer steaming, then mix in the mustard paste and finely diced candied citron. Do not leave the mixture at room temperature to cool completely.
Step 5
Divide immediately into clean shallow heat-safe containers and add a very light dusting of cinnamon. Refrigerate promptly at 4°C or colder, loosely covered until cold, then cover. Use within 3 days from cooking or freeze portions promptly. Keep refrigerated until serving; this is not a pantry preserve.
Step 6
Mixed-grape version — use these ingredients instead: 667 g ripe black grapes; 1333 g ripe white grapes.
Step 7
Use these in place of the 2 kg white grapes and follow the same full method.
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