A few years ago, I included Runamok’s Sparkling Maple Syrup in my Festive Finds gift list. I love that stuff – I gave it as gifts and used it at Christmas morning brunch. I also went into a little edible glitter binge, using all sorts of colors in my holiday cocktails, and beyond. I went a little glitter crazy. Recently, in the run up to the holidays, I came across my stash of edible glitter and started thinking of ways to use it when I had a little brainwave about adding it to jam. The obvious conclusion was a sugar plum jam shot through with sparkling gold. I set out to make a simple plum jam with a dash of seasonal spices, but I must have been in Christmas mood as I gathered up my tools and ingredients, because I couldn’t quite stop myself from going all in. Port wine, orange and a bundle of whole spices give it a little mulled wine feel, with an extra hit of ground spices and a whiff of vanilla bean. Stir in a measure of gold glitter, and you’ve got a stunner of a spread.
I love black plums, but red work beautifully as well. The deep sweetness of port as dimension, but red wine will work, or just a little water. The adornments of whole spices, vanilla bean and orange are a delicious flourish, but you can skip all that and just use the ground, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, though I’d up the quantity a bit. I use this edible glitter and I love the gold against the deep ruby jam, but silver could be nice as well. Edible glitter is available online or from cake decorating shops or departments, choose one that says it is good for cocktails or drinks. And yes edible glitter is like all glitters and will end up in odd places, so be a little careful. Washing the dishes from making this jam is the most festive clean up ever! I generally get two half pint jars from this, plus a tiny bit leftover, but that will depend on the juiciness of your plums. Double or even triple the amount to make more jars to give as gifts. I give short term refrigerator storage and long term water bath canning methods at the end of the recipe. Spread this on toast, biscuits, spoon it over waffles or pancakes or stir it into yogurt. And it would make the prettiest thumbprint cookies ever!
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds black or red plums
8 ounces dark brown sugar
4 ounces granulated sugar
1/3 cup port or red wine
2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon orange zest
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
2 star anise
½ teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon allspice berries
½ teaspoon gold edible glitter
Directions
- Read the instructions below for canning or refrigerating the jam before you proceed. Put a small plate in the freezer to test when the jam has set.
- Pit the plums and cut into pieces and drop in a large saucepan. Add the dark brown and granulated sugars and lemon juice and stir to coat. Leave to sit for about 30 minutes (up to an hour is fine) for some of the juices to extract from the plums. Zest the orange into the pot, then pour in the port and orange juice. Add the ground spices and stir. Cut the vanilla bean open and scrape the seeds into the fruit. Put the vanilla bean and the whole spices in a tea infuser ball or tie them up in a little cheesecloth package. Drop the bundle into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. When the plums are really soft and broken down, scoop out the spice bundle and use an immersion blender to puree the jam (or a potato masher of you don’t have one). Return the spice bundle to the pot, stir well and continue cooking until the jam is thick. When you run the spatula across the bottom of the jam, the two sides should not immediately come together. Spoon a little bit of the jam onto the frozen plate and wait fifteen seconds. The jam should not run when you tip the plate and when you run your finger through the middle the two sides should not run together. Remove the spice bundle and stir in the glitter.
- Scoop the jam into the jars and can or cool and refrigerate, as below. I usually get two half pint jars plus a little extra, but the yield well depend on the juiciness of your plums, so I always have an extra jar ready. Any extra can be scooped in a jar or a bowl and refrigerated, covered for a few days.
- To refrigerate the jam
- Even for refrigerator storage, the jars need to be very clean, so I recommend boiling them in a pot of water before you fill them. You don’t have to have a canner to do this, just a pot that fits the jars covered with water, even resting on their sides. Boil for a minute and remove them when you are ready to fill, using a jar lifter or tongs. Let the jam cool completely in the jars, then screw on lids and refrigerate for up to three weeks.
- To water bath can the jam for long term storage:
- Put three half pint canning jars in a water bath canner covered with water by three inches. Bring to a boil. When the jam is ready and has passed the plate test, spread a tea towel on the counter and remove the jars with a jar-lifter, dumping out the water. Submerge the jar lids in boiling water – you can put them in a shallow bowl and dump the water from the jars on top. This softens the seals. Spoon the jam into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Run a skewer or a thin knife blade around the inside of the jam jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel to remove any sticky jam, then place the lids on top and screw on the bands until tight. Put the jars in the water and boil for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, remove the top of the pot and let the jars sit in the water for a least ten minutes, then remove to the tea towel. The dimple on the lid of the jar should be flat with no give. If it is not, the jam can be refrigerated. Leave to cool for 24 hours, then store on the shelf for up to a year. For more detailed instructions, click here.
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