Monday, January 31, 2011

Plums Glorius Plums

Plum and Vanilla Jam
The new year brought an abundance of plums glorious sweet and tart red plums.  So after we'd eaten our fill I was left plenty to make a couple of my favourite things Plum and Vanilla Jam and Plum Sauce.  I also had a go at Plum and Cardamom Financiers yummy!  The french sure know their way around pastry.  Now I know that I should wait to let the flavours develop in the plum sauce but I found I couldn't help my-self and drizzled it over crispy Sweet-corn Fritters for supper.

Plum Vanilla Jam

1 kg plums 
1 cup water
5 cups warm sugar
Vanilla Pods
(or vanilla extract)

Wash and halve plums add to pan with water and cook till soft.  Sieve the cooked plums and return to the pan.   Add sugar and vanilla bean with all the seeds scraped out to the plums.   Simmer gently until a small amount sets on a cold saucer.  Pour boiling jam into sterilised jars.  Makes approximately 5 small jars (250ml)
Plum Sauce

1kg plums
1 brown onion
10 cloves garlic
1 tbspn ginger
1 tbspn salt
8 cloves
8 allspice
8 peppercorns
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tspn chile 
500gms brown sugar
2 cups malt vinegar

Wash and halve the plums, leaving in the stones.  Put all of the ingredients into a large pan and slowly bring to the boil.  Boil for approximately 30 minutes.  Sieve and return to the pan and simmer until the sauce has reached the desired consistency.  Pour into sterilised bottles.  Makes approximately 2 bottles (500mls)


Sweet-corn Fritters 

1 can creamed corn (410g)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh at this time of the year otherwise use frozen)
1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup water
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper

Mix all the wet ingredients together and stir in the dry ingredients.  Fry in oil and butter until golden brown.  Makes 12 fritters.

 

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