Asian Fusion Plum Jam

I recently had another canning date with my friend Talea, who had found a luscious pile of just-ripe plums at the grocery store. We put our heads together to come up with a unique plum jam recipe. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of simmering fruit and ginger. I couldn't stop staring at the luscious purple color in the jars! The photo above really doesn't do it justice.

That night, when the guys got home from work, we served a fresh ham roasted with ale and rubbed with herbs and salt, and served these preserves on the side with a nice glass of Cabernet. 

Ingredients

1 cup water
Juice and zest of 2 lemons

2 tbsp ground cardamom

¼ c  fresh ginger, grated

1 large jalapeno, finely chopped

2 lbs plums, seeded and sliced
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups sake

Directions 

Pour water into a non-reactive saucepan. Add lemon juice, zest, cardamom, ginger, jalapeno, and plums and crush with spoon or potato masher. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes, until mixture is thick and syrupy and the fruit is soft. Add water if the mixture gets too dry.

Press the fruit through a fine colander or run it through a food mill to remove the tough bits. Return it to the pan and add the sugar and sake. Simmer and stir for about 60 minutes, until the jam sets. It is set when a spoonful set on a cool plate is thick and jam-like.

Sterilize half-pint or pint jars and lids. Heat water in a boiling-water canner until it is at a rolling boil. Fill sterilized jars with fruit mixture, leaving 1/2" room from the rim. Wipe off the rims and screw down the lids until finger-tight.

Boil in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from boiler and cool on a towel. Tighten the lids before storing.

Because the recipe does not include any jelling compound, the preserves may be a little juicy, but still delicious.

Makes about 6 half pint jars.


You can find other canning and preserving recipes in my book, The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food