Serves about 3 pints
- 4 # ripe plums, any color
- 3 C evaporated cane juice or white sugar
- 1 lemon – Meyer lemon is best, but any will do
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/4t to 1/2t clove (optional)
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or casis (optional)
- Freeze two small plates or saucers for testing later.
- 6 half pints or 12 quarter pints
- zest and juice lemon
- Pit and cut plums into eighths. Set aside.
- Zest and juice the lemon. Add to plums.
- In a large Dutch oven, add the chopped plums and all other ingredients except for the Grand Marnier.
- Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until fruit is very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Discard the vanilla bean.
- Using a food processor, puree batches of the butter, taking care not to over-process.
- Return pureed butter to Dutch oven.
- Cook butter over low heat for about two hours, stirring frequently to prevent butter from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Test for “doneness” by using one of the saucers. Spoon a little butter on it and tilt the plate. Butter should do a slow slide rather than a quick run off.
- Turn off the heat, move pot to a cool burner.
- Stir in the alcohol.
- Funnel into sterile jars, wipe rims and process in hot water bath for 10 min in half pints / 8 min in quarter pints.
Based off of: http://www.food52.com/recipes/6099_plum_butter