Our spiced plum and fig jam is a great way to use up a glut of plums when they're at their peak (plum season runs from August to end of September) and jam making is therapeutic if you've never tried it.
You will need a sugar thermometer to make jam but this versatile tool can be used for so many things like measuring oil temperatures and making sugar-based desserts too so you're bound to reuse it again.
N.b. Makes 1.8kg jar
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Yields:
1
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Cal/Serv:
30
Ingredients
8
large fresh figs, about 350g, trimmed and chopped
1kg plums, halved, destoned and chopped
juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange
1tsp.
each ground cloves and cinnamon
1.2kg caster sugar
Directions
Step 1
Chop figs and put into a large preserving pan. Halve plums, remove and discard stones. Chop flesh and add to figs with 50ml water, and orange zest and juice.
Step 2
Cover and cook gently for 20min, squashing fruit occasionally with a wooden spoon until soft. Uncover, stir in spices and sugar, then heat, stirring gently, until sugar dissolves. Turn up heat and bring to boil. Bubble for 25-30min until setting point is reached, or a sugar thermometer registers 105°C - make sure it's reading the jam's temperature, not the base of the pan.
Step 3
Take pan off the heat and remove surface scum with a metal spoon. Pot into sterilised jars, cover with wax discs and airtight lids. Store in a cool, dark place for up to six months, and in fridge once opened.
To test for setting point: Drop a spoonful of jam on to a chilled saucer and leave to cool slightly. Push your finger through the jam - if the surface wrinkles, it is ready. If not, return to heat.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
