Plums have been plentiful this summer and when just ripe, but still firm, they make the best jam. Jam you will appreciate a few months from now when days are shorter, darker and summer flavors just a memory.
I love plums and have often shared recipes and plum stories with you here at Food on Fifth. There have been Plum Clafoutis, Plum Yum Almond Cake and Stone Fruit Skillet Cake with Maple Drizzle among others.
The plums you see in the photo below were ones left unused after a photo shoot. They had time to sit out on the studio counter ripening all week and went home with me at week’s end.
Three simple ingredients and two special ones, Calvados and Cardamom! Calvados is a good flavor-pairing with fruits when making cakes, pies or jams, due to it apple origins. It is a French apple brandy, starting out as apples, fermenting into a cider, aged in oak casks to become Calvados. Cardamom…I cannot say enough good things about this spice… with its strong spicy sweet taste adding seductive aromatics with just a pinch!
Four pounds of plums with peels left on…making this recipe even easier!
Sugar, ground cardamom…plums cooking down….Calvados & lemon zest added at the end of cooking time…
Spooned into clean glass canning jars, topped off..ready to give away or refrigerate until ready to use. By the way…very yummy spooned over sponge cake or ice cream while still warm! And how about serving this with your roasted hen or turkey instead of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving? Nice!
Beautifully messy.
From my summer travels: “Plums in Budapest” # 1 and #2 iphone images
Simple Summer (5 Ingredient) Refrigerator Plum Jam with Calvados
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs plums, pitted, unpeeled and chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup Calvados
- 1 TBSP fresh lemon zest
Directions:
- Put chopped plums & sugar in a large non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a low boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken and plums break down.
- Stir in cardamom and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Stir often and skim any foam from the surface of the mixture.
- Add Calvados & lemon zest. Simmer another 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Place pan on a cooking rack so air can circulate around the pan to cool it down faster. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Spoon plum jam into sterilized glass canning jars. Wipe rims of jars clean, top with lids and allow to cool completely.
- Jam will keep in refrigerator for up to 1 month. If you do not give some of this fine jam away to your friends (they will be forever grateful I promise) then freeze for later.
Note on freezing: If you plan to freeze some of these jars of jam then fill jars leaving a 1″ head space to allow for jam to expand when frozen. I did not do this many years ago and upon opening my freezer I found jars of jam exploding out of the top of the glass jars! The lids had been pushed completely off! Now I allow for that!
Teresa Blackburn www.foodonfifth www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com
Resources:
Red and White hand towel – http://www.ikea.com/
Canning jars – http://www.jarstore.com/Jelly-Mason-Salsa-Jars_c_41.html
Vintage glass canning funnel, silver spoons, Vintage Kobe Turquoise saucepan – my prop collection but check out Etsy or ebay for similar items
Blue enamel colander – World Market http://www.worldmarket.com/category/dining-kitchen.do?nType=1
Travel Budapest – http://www.afar.com/travel-guides/hungary/budapest/guide
Oh yum! This looks delicious!
It is and really, really easy Lily. Thanks as always.
Yes, it looks delicious.
This looks delicious but I wonder if I could sterilize the jam in the jars so it doesn’t have to be refrigerated or frozen. I would put it in a water bath for 15 minutes until the lids are sealed. Unfortunately, I’m space challenged in my fridge and freezer,
Yes you could absolutely do the water bath canning method for this recipe. Even better for storing when space is an issue. I gave mine away except for 2 jars frozen!
Sounds good and I have Calvados I know not what to do with.
Get out that bottle lulu and get busy…make some jam!
I ama big fan of cardamom too Teresa but never with plums. Plus calavados? Oh my, this jam looks fantastic. Possibilities for using it up are endless. I am thinking it would be great with duck and….right off the spoon too!
Oh yes! Duck, roasted and juicy with a dab of this jam on the top! Heavenly sounding. Yep not bad off the spoon either. Thanks much.
I can’t wait to try it!
I think I gave you a jar earlier? Or did I? Let me know sweetness.
Ahhh!! Yummilicious Teresa 🙂 Sweet always gives me a kick in the midnight and I see that you have a remedy for me now, thank you 🙂
Since you’ve shared your secret of plums, I would request you to explore my food blog as well! Here’s the link : https://hungerbook.wordpress.com/
Your reviews on it will be much appreciated Teresa! 🙂
I think I will walk over to Farmers Mkt. and buy some plums.
They have been so good this past summer, now on the wane, but there are still some good ones in the supermarkets.
Yummilicious Teresa! Very neatly written, glad I gave a stop at your blog. It’s a definite try for me now!
Do you mind checking my blog as well? Here’s the link:
https://hungerbook.wordpress.com/
Thanks so much. Just did a visit to your blog. Keep up the good food work.
Thank you Teresa 😊
Lovely& healthy one! Really great to end a season like this 🙂
If you enjoy healthy& positive lifestyle, plz kindly refer to https://petiteneverland.wordpress.com/
Hi and thanks for stopping by…Just went over and am now following your blog. Very interesting.
THX, I love your blog. BTW, more features are coming to Petite Neverland! Let’s see 🙂