Lower Rhine Puspas

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g plums, peeled and weighed
• 500 g apples, peeled and weighed
• 500 g pear(s), peeled and weighed
• 4 carnations
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 2 star anise
• 4 tbsp, heaped applesauce or sugar
• 200 ml cream
• some plum brandy

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 7 hours; Total time approx. 7 hours 25 minutes

Bread spread, autumnal dessert, old Lower Rhine recipe

Wash the plums, apples, and pears. Stone the plums, peel and core the apples, and core the pears only. Cut the fruit into large pieces and place them in a stone pot along with the spices and applesauce or the appropriate amount of sugar. Cover with a lid (previously, a white cabbage leaf). Cook all ingredients in the oven at 175°C for about 90 minutes, stirring well. After this time, remove the lid and let it thicken for 4-6 hours or longer at 150°C. Of course, you can also prepare puspas in a regular pot in the oven or on the stovetop. Stir vigorously from time to time to prevent it from burning. Scented with a little plum brandy and topped with whipped cream, this dessert goes well with rustic dishes. Puspas can be eaten hot or cold. It is still popular today as a spread on white bread. This typical autumn dish is made exclusively with the fruits mentioned above. Star anise was not originally part of the original recipe from the Lower Rhine region, but it complements the flavor.