Spiced Plums Recipes

SPICY OVEN-ROASTED PLUMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place the plums, cut-side up, in a single layer in the baking dish.
• Whisk together the orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, and cardamom in a bowl; drizzle over the plums.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until plums are hot and the sauce is bubbly. Top with toasted almonds, if desired (see Cook's Note).

CRUNCHY SPICED PLUMS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the sugar with 2 tbsp water in a baking dish, add the star anise, then pop in the plums, cut-side down. They should fit quite snugly. Dot with the butter. Roast for about 5 mins until the plums are starting to soften on the bottom, then turn them over. Roast for another 5 mins or until tender - this will depend on how ripe your fruit is.
• Roughly crush the Hobnobs, then spoon a little on top of each plum half. Return to the oven for a few mins more until the biscuit topping takes on a dark gold colour. Serve the plums and their scented, syrupy juices with custard or ice cream.

SPICED PLUM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 9-in. pie plate or cast iron skillet with bottom pastry; trim even with edge. Arrange plums in crust. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Stir in egg, orange juice and zest. Pour over plums; dot with butter. , Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry., Bake 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly (cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary). Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

SPICED PURPLE PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Submerge 6 empty half-pint jars on a rack in a large pot of water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low to keep jars warm until ready to fill.
• Tumble plums, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a wide, nonreactive 8-quart pot. Whisk together sugar, pectin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl, then stir into pot until combined.
• Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, stirring frequently and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil, until volume has reduced by at least one-third, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pot from heat and check for set.
• Working with one jar at a time, remove empty jars from canning pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, carefully ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/2 inch for headspace. Use a clean wooden chopstick to work air bubbles out of jars. Check headspace again and add more jam if necessary to bring to 1/2 inch from the top.
• Wipe jar rims, apply lids and bands (not too tightly), and return jars to canning pot; cover pot and return water to a rolling boil. Process 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove pot lid, and let jars stand in the cooling water 5 minutes to help ensure a good vacuum seal.
• Move jars to a folded kitchen towel or wooden cutting board to cool completely before checking seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten promptly. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. They are shelf-stable at least 1 year.