Methley Plum Jam

I bought these plums on a rainy day whim when there was a whole table full them marked $1 per quart,  which was a steal of a deal that I just couldn't pass up. So with very little hesitation, I walked up to the table and handed over a few dollars for three rain-soaked quarts of tiny, ripe plums and asked asked the fellas working the stand why they were so inexpensive. One guy claimed that they just had a lot of that particular variety and needed to sell them. Then the other piped in and said, "Let's be real, it's about to pour down rain and we want to get out of here." I laughed and told them I didn't mind either way because I was going to make jam from the whole lot.

This recipe for plum jam is very simple (like most of the jams I prefer), but for a more spiced up version check out this post to see how I made my plum jam last year: Spiced Plum Jam with Vanilla Bean. I made that jam with Italian prune plums which are a freestone variety available later in the season.

Methley Plum Jam
yield, 4-5 half pints

I had never eaten a Methley plum before this impulse buy and while they taste great, they have one huge drawback. They are clingstone plums, which means that they are a pain in the butt to pit and when they are small, ripe and soft like the batch I had, they are nearly impossible to use without making a mess. So, I just got down to it with my hands. I tore the fruit in half over a large bowl and used my fingers to squeeze as much fruit from the pits as possible. It wasn't glamorous, but it worked just fine. If you are working with larger, less ripe plums you can cut them in quarters and pull the wedges of plum from the pits.

Update 8/8: Sean of Punk Domestics fame just informed me that you can cut clingstone plums (and probably other clingstone fruit) down to the pits, macerate them overnight (pits and all) in sugar (and spices if using) and the pits will loosen up on their own. Handy!

3 pounds Methley Plums or other small sugar plums
28 ounces sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (optional)
1 lemon, juice squeezed and rinds reserved.

1. Wash, pit, and chop the plums if necessary. Add them to a large bowl with the sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pod (if using), and lemon juice and squeezed rind. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate over night or up to 2 days.
2. When you are ready to cook the jam, prepare 4 or 5 half pint jars by washing and sterilizing them.
Pour the jam mixture in to non-reactive pot and remove the lemon rind.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. As the jam comes to a boil, skim the foam that rises to the top of the pot and discard.
3. Raise the heat to high and boil for 15-25 minutes or until set, being careful not to let the bottom scorch. Begin checking the jam for doneness at about 15 minutes. I generally use the wrinkle test to check for doneness with this type of jam, but if you like numbers you can cook it to 220ºF. If you would prefer jam without skin, quickly transfer the cooked mixture to a mesh strainer and force as much as the jam through as possible, discard the skins and proceed with canning.
4.  Remove the vanilla bean pod and save for another use, then pour the jam into sterilized jars, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Whole Wheat Plum Crumb Bars

I know it's boring to talk about the weather, but here I am, bringing it up again. Living in a place with four distinct seasons forces me to stop and reflect upon what each season brings. Maybe this tendency (along with the grey hair that has started sprouting out of my head) is just another sign that I'm getting older, who's to say for sure? All I know is that this summer, NYC is bringing the heat. It has been a hot, humid summer tempered only by an occasional epic thunderstorm and lots of cold watermelon.



Despite my general dislike of east coast summer temps, I've found a way to ease myself right into the season this year. I find myself in the kitchen most days, weighing flours, cutting butter into even hunks, dropping cubes of ice into a measuring cup of water. I make pie dough and puff pastry and crumbles like this one to house all of the gorgeous summer fruit that I can't stop buying. I make endless, floury messes and clean them up countless times. I turn on the oven when it is far too hot for any sane person to bake. Then, I load my camera with film and try to capture some of this season's essence to remember later in the year when I am complaining about how my toes just won't get warm no matter how many pairs of socks I put on. And if I'm lucky I get to escape the city every once in a while for wide open spaces, hopefully to gather more of summer's bounty.

These perfectly tart crumb bars were baked for just such an occasion, when a group of city kids migrated upstate for the day to drink icy cold beers and make pizzas in a wood fired oven that I had a hand in building. Next time I get up there I am going to do some wood fired baking. Wish me luck!

Whole Wheat Plum Crumb Bars
yield 1 9x13 pan

For the Bottom Crust

6 ounces/170g butter, melted and cooled
3.5 ounces/100g sugar
4.5 ounces/127g all purpose flour
4.5 ounces/127g whole wheat flour
3/4t salt
2t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350º and line a 9x13 baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease the inside of the pan.

1. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add in the melted butter and  vanilla extract. Stir gently until a dough forms.
2. Pat the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Slide the pan into the oven and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling and crumble.

For the Filling
The plums I used for this recipe were quite tart. The amount of sugar listed below sweetened them gently while leaving some of that lovely tartness behind, which was perfect. If you are working with sweet juicy plums, you might want to cut back on the sugar a bit.

1lb plums (I used a combination of red and black plums)
1.75 ounces/50g sugar
1/2t ground cinnamon
1t ground cardamom
2t vanilla extract
.5 ounce/14g flour

1. Pit and roughly chop the plums. Put them in a bowl and add the sugar, spices, vanilla and flour. Toss gently to combine. Pour over the cooled crust.

For the Crumb Topping

6 ounces/170g soft butter
3.5 ounces/100g rolled oats
2.25 ounces/64g all purpose flour
2.25 ounces/64g  whole wheat flour
5 ounces/120g sugar
1/4t baking soda
1/2t salt

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in the butter and use your hands to work it into the mixture until it holds together in medium clumps. Sprinkle it evenly over the plum filling.
2. Slide the bars into the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the plums begin to release their juices, 30-40min. Cool completely before slicing

Spiced Plum Jam with Vanilla Bean

This was my first go-around with plum jam so I turned to an expert to see how it's done. I used Marisa from Food in Jars method and ratio here, just switching up the spices to use what I had on hand, cinnamon and cardamom, then threw in a vanilla bean from my stash. I bought a pound of vanilla beans a few months ago and I love being able to fancy up desserts and preserves with them. I guess I didn't have very high hopes for this simple jam because I was totally blown away by how much I loved it's sweet, tart and spiced notes. Slap some on toast or a scone and it tastes just like a delicious plum cobbler.

Spiced Plum Jam with Vanilla Bean
yield 3-4 half pints

5c chopped Italian plums
1 1/3c sugar
2t cinnamon
seeds from 6 cracked cardamom pods in a cheesecloth sack or tea strainer (you want to be able to remove the seeds before canning the jam)
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3-4 sterilized half pint jars and lids

1. In a large bowl combine the plums, sugar, spices, vanilla bean seeds and pod and let sit for at least an hour, the plums will release their juices and the mixture will become very syrupy
2. When you are ready to cook, add the mixture to a large non reactive pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil the jam for 15-20 min, or until it passes the wrinkle test or if you like numbers you can cook it to 220º. Remove the vanilla bean pod and the cheesecloth or tea strainer with the cardamom seeds. Rinse off the vanilla bean and save it for another use like vanilla sugar or salt.
3. Pour the finished jam into clean sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Notes

If you don't have the dollar bills to buy a whole pound of vanilla beans, split it with a few friends and you'll still have a ton of beans at your disposal. Depending on the variety, a pound is usually around 100 beans.