Oven-Preserved Plums

August 11, 2013

Oven-preserved plums © kvalifood.com

Oven-preserved plums are a classic of Danish autumn preserving, made each year when damson plums come into season. The fruit is layered in a roasting dish with sugar and baked slowly in the oven; the juice that runs out thickens into a dark, intense syrup. The result is soft, whole plums in a rich brine — good for months in a sealed jar, and perfect as a winter dessert with a dollop of raw cream, or alongside oat porridge at breakfast.

Ingredients

Makes 4–5 jars

2½ kg damson plums
1 kg sugar
1 tsp preserving liquid

Directions

Preparation

Rinse the plums thoroughly and dry them. Pierce each plum in several places with a fork — this helps the sugar penetrate and prevents the skins from splitting.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Layer the plums in a roasting pan or large ovenproof dish and sprinkle sugar over each layer. Cover tightly with foil and place the dish in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1½–2 hours, until the plums are tender and thoroughly soaked but still holding their shape, and the sugar has dissolved into the juice drawn out.

Jarring

Remove the dish from the oven. Stir the preserving liquid into the brine directly in the dish. Ladle the plums with all the juice into clean, scalded jars and seal immediately.

Serving

Serve directly from the jar as a dessert with raw cream — perhaps lightly frozen — or with ordinary whipped cream. The plums are also good as an accompaniment to oat porridge or other porridge.

Notes

Add 100 ml (3½ fl oz) rum, cognac, or armagnac to the brine before ladling the plums into jars, for a more grown-up and complex flavour — this is a classic Danish variation
Some versions bake at 255°F (125°C) for 3 hours instead of 300°F (150°C) for 2 hours — the lower temperature gives more even cooking and keeps the plums whole
Let the plums rest in the jar for at least a week before opening — the flavour develops significantly
Without preserving liquid, store in the refrigerator where they will keep for 3–4 weeks
A vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks are popular additions: place them in the jar before sealing
Damson plums (the elongated, blue-black variety) are ideal — they are firm enough to hold their shape during the long baking time