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Posts Tagged ‘President plums’

In My Kitchen, March 2012

Posted in In My Kitchen, tagged , , , , , , on March 1, 2012| 86 Comments »

In my kitchen…

…is a magnificent Fitz & Floyd Ricamo Rooster Jug, reduced from $137 to just $27 during the Peters of Kensington sale.  It sits on a high shelf, crowing over our busy workspace…

In my kitchen…

…are chestnut, leek and duck fat loaves, loosely inspired by a recipe from Dan Lepard’s The Handmade Loaf…

In my kitchen…

…is a lovely note from our neighbours Shaun and Michelle.  The new neighbour ware seems to be working; plates are being returned promptly…

In my kitchen…

…are new season President plums, our favourite!  We were so excited to find them at the markets last week that we bought two boxes…

Several kilos of plums and sugar are now macerating in vodka, brandy and Calvados.  Hopefully we’ll be drinking this year’s plum brandy by the end of May…

Pete made fourteen jars of soft-set jam…

…and I turned a few plums into a simple tart, using June’s sweet pastry dough, Pete’s jam and sliced fruit…

In my kitchen…

…is a new Exopat silicone baking mat, a gift from my friend David.  He bought it at Chefs’ Warehouse, then figured out it was too large for his oven, so he sent it to me.  I have very generous friends indeed…

In my kitchen…

…is a plate of toffee bars, a simple slice which made for perfect weekend eating…

. . . . .

Tell me, what’s happening in your kitchen this month?

If you’d like to do an In My Kitchen post on your own blog, please feel free  to use this format, and to leave a comment here linking back to your post.  We’d love to see what’s happening in your kitchen this month!

. . . . .

Here are this month’s posts…

Sorcha @ xo.sorcha.ox

Shelley @ All Litten Up

Christine @ Invisible Spice

Claire @ Claire K Creations

Rose @ Greening the Rose

Pam @ Grow, Bake, Run

Joanna @ Zeb Bakes

Jane @ The Shady Baker

Sue @ Sous Chef

Misk @ Misk Cooks

Glenda @ Passion Fruit Garden
(brand new blog!!)

Heidi @ Steps on the Journey

Mandy @ The Complete Cook Book

Lizzy @ Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things

Tandy @ Lavender and Lime

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Plum Sauce

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on March 4, 2010| 18 Comments »

Pete’s Plum Sauce
(adapted from a recipe in Jams and Preserves, published by Murdoch Press)

  • 1.5kg sour plums, stoned and halved (we used the President plums that we bought last week)
  • 500g brown sugar
  • 375ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and grated
  • 2 small red chillis, seeded and chopped
  • 1 large apple or two small ones, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 60ml dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of homemade ginger jam (original recipe used 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger)
  • 125ml water

1. Put the chopped, peeled apple into a large stock pot and cover with 125ml water.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apple is soft.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.   Simmer for about 45 minutes over a low to medium heat until the sauce is thick and pulpy, stirring frequently.

3. Pass the mixture through a food mill or press it through a coarse sieve.  If you’re using a tomato juicer as we did, allow the mix to cool a little prior to processing.

4.  Wash the cooking pot, and put the strained sauce back into it.   Taste the sauce to see if you’d like it sweeter or more acidic, and adjust accordingly. Simmer over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to your liking.

5.  Ladle the sauce into sterilised jars, seal well and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Please see our Jam Making Primer for more information.  The original instructions suggest that you let the sauce mature for a month before eating, to allow all the flavours to meld.

These quantities make enough plum sauce to fill five to six 300ml jars.

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President Plum Jam

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , on March 2, 2010| 14 Comments »

We picked up a box of magnificent President plums at the markets last week.  They’re very tart and firm, which makes them perfect for cooking.

After freezing twenty-four plums (stoned and halved, vacuum-sealed), Pete had enough left over for a couple of batches of jam.  His first was a delicious plum and pluot blend, but this second one is even better – sweet, but tart, with a wonderfully complex flavour.  It will make a great staple in our larder for the year to come.

1. Put the quartered plums in a large wide stock pot.  Ensure the pot is big enough to allow the jam to rise up as it boils.  Add the lemon juice and pectin, cover and bring to a boil.  Don’t add the sugar yet.

2. Stew gently until the plums are softened, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Note that the plum skins won’t soften any further once the sugar is added.

3. Add all the sugar and vanilla extract and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.  As the sugar dissolves, foam will appear on the surface of the jam – skim this off carefully.  Put a small saucer in the freezer so you can test the jam for set.

4. Once the jam is clarified, raise the temperature and bring the pot to a rolling boil.  Cook until the jam has thickened, then place a spoonful on the cold saucer and allow it to cool.  If it has set properly, it will wrinkle when pushed.

Plums, if they’re not too ripe, have a high natural pectin content, so they usually set very well.  Here is a photo of the pot once it had cooled slightly.

5. Ladle the jam into sterilised jars, seal tightly and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  For more instructions, please refer to our Jam Making Primer.

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