Description
Use up all of the best fruit of summer with this easy plum jam.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ripe plums, stems removed
- Sugar to taste, start with 1/3 cup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- juice from 1/2 lemon (optional if the fruit is very sweet)
- 1 tablespoon spiced rum or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cut each plum into about 8 pieces, removing the pits. I like to cut them in quarters, then cut each in half.
- Set the plum pieces in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with sugar and the cinnamon and salt. How much sugar will depend on the sweetness of the individual plums. Start with 1/3 cup, then you can taste later as the plums are cooking. Stir well.
- Set the plums aside for about 30 minutes or up to a couple hours until the juices of the plums start collecting at the bottom of the bowl. You can skip this step, but it can help the plums get a head start when you go to cook them.
- Place the plums in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir frequently for about 10 minutes until the plums begin to break down.
- Smash the plums with a potato masher and continue to cook the plums until they are tender. Add about a tablespoon of water if necessary to keep the plums from burning.
- At this point, taste the plums to check the sweetness. Add a little more sugar if necessary. If the fruit tastes very sweet, you can add the juice of up to 1/2 lemon to balance it out. Go easy here on the lemon–you want balance and NOT for it to taste like lemon.
- Once the plums are tender, use a stick blender to blend the jam completely. Cook the jam until it falls from a spoon in a nice jammy plop.
- Add the rum (or vanilla) into the hot jam.
- Pack the jam in a clean glass jar and refrigerate for up to a month if it lasts that long.
Notes
- Play with your spices here. 1/2 tsp of either allspice or ginger are also good , as are 1/4 tsp cloves or ground star anise.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Additional Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 15
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 4
- Carbohydrates: 3
- Protein: .1