Here’s how to make velvety, silky pelamushi using just three ingredients.
The holiday season is very much here, and you’re likely whipping up a feast full of traditional family recipes that have graced your table for multiple generations. But there’s a chance you might be craving something a little more experimental, fresher, and new. If you’re wanting to shake things up at the table this year, you’re in luck: We’ve got an elegantly simple, velvety, fruit-forward dessert to add to your seasonal repertoire, and it’s called pelamushi.
“Pelamushi is a traditional Georgian dessert made from grape juice,” writes Nino Chiokadze, head chef at New York restaurant Chama Mama. “It has a smooth, silky texture and a rich grape flavor.” Plus, this dish comes together in about 15 minutes and calls for just three ingredients — making it a lot more low-maintenance than your grandma’s figgy pudding recipe.
“Pelamushi is often served as part of a traditional Georgian feast and is enjoyed both warm and chilled,” Chiokadze clarifies. So while other treats are much more time- and labor-intensive, you can pop a bowl of pelamushi in the fridge and it’ll sit there happily as you finish your other dishes. Why can’t every holiday dessert be this genuinely relaxing to prepare?
Pelamushi
Ingredients:
- 1 liter (4 cups) grape juice
- 100 grams (3 ½ ounces) of cornmeal or wheat flour
- 100 grams (3 ½ ounces) of roasted walnuts
Instructions:
- Pour the grape juice into a large saucepan.
- Mix the flour in a small bowl, mix the cornmeal (or flour) with a little cold grape juice to make a smooth paste, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Bring the grape juice to a boil on medium heat. Slowly add the flour mixture, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens — this can take about 10-15 minutes. Once it reaches a pudding-like consistency, it’s ready.
- Pour the hot pelamushi into small bowls or molds. Garnish with crushed nuts, such as walnuts.
