Davidson Plum Variegato

Variegato trial for Opulenza Austral

Davidson Plum Variegato (1 kg)

IngredientQuantityWater420 gGranulated sugar325 g (split 35 g + 290 g)Glucose syrup (35 DE)155 gDextrose44.5 gFreeze-dried Davidson plum powder52 gNH pectin3.5 g

1. Prep

• Mix the 3.5 g pectin thoroughly with 35 g of the sugar.
• Combine the remaining 290 g sugar with the dextrose.
• Weigh your empty pot and write the weight down. You’ll need it in step 5.

2. Hydrate the pectin

• Heat the 420 g water to 40–45°C.
• Sprinkle in the pectin–sugar mix while whisking constantly.
• Bring to a full boil and boil for about 1 minute, still whisking. It should look completely smooth, with no specks.

3. Add the sugars

• Add the sugar–dextrose mix, then the glucose syrup.
• Stir until dissolved and bring back to 85–90°C, or whatever your pectin supplier specifies.
• Optional: take a small sample now for a baseline Brix reading (see step 6).

4. Add the plum

• Take the pot off the heat and let it drop to about 80–85°C.
• Whisk in the plum powder gradually, then stick-blend until completely smooth.
• Return to the heat, bring back to 85°C and hold for about 1 minute, stirring.

5. Correct the weight

• Put the pot on the scale and subtract the empty-pot weight.
• Top up with hot water to bring the batch back to 1,000 g, and blend briefly to mix it in.

6. Measure the Brix

• Take a 10–15 g sample and cool it to 20°C.
• Stir it, then let it settle a moment and put a few drops of the clearer liquid on the refractometer.
• Record the reading. Expect roughly 53–56°, and treat your first batch as the baseline for this recipe rather than adjusting to hit exactly 50.

7. Chill and rest

• Pour into a shallow container and cool quickly in an ice bath or blast chiller.
• Cover once it’s cool, refrigerate at 4°C, and rest for 12–24 hours so the pectin sets fully.

8. Test in the gelato

• Ripple some into your macadamia and wattleseed gelato and hold it at −15°C for 24 hours.
• The ripple should scoop as easily as the gelato around it, or more easily. If it sets firmer, increase the dextrose next batch rather than adding water.

Storage: Keep it refrigerated and use it within about a week, or freeze portions for later.