Plum Recipes

This recipe can be done on nearly any scale from 1 qt. to 4qt. (I've never seen a mason jar more than 1 gallon), and two bottles of dark rum will normally yield about five bottles of liqueur.

Check German and Scandinavian recipe sources for more versions.

Note: The bottom of the pudding mold should be above the gently boiling water at all times so that the pudding is cooked by steam. It may take some ingenuity to find a way to raise the pudding above the water. Kluger wrote: "I steamed one pudding in a vegetable blancher, placing my canning funnel upside down in the perforated basket and placing the pudding mold on top of that. The second 'steamer' was contrived by placing a flat-bottomed colander upside down in the bottom of a hot-water-bath kettle. This made a nice platform for the pudding to stand on - about 2" above the bottom of the pan. Allow ample space between the pudding and the sides of the kettle so the steam can circulate." Note: If you want to freeze one of the puddings, cool it after steaming. Wrap in moisture-vapor-proof freezer wrap and store at 0 F. for up to 1 year. When ready to eat, unwrap and thaw loosely covered in the refrigerator. Then return to the pudding mold and steam as directed above for serving.

Basically any kind of plum would work the same.

We grow wild plums and blue plums on our land and when I make my jam, I do not pit the plum. It is entirely too labor intensive. What we do that is just as effective is to boil the plum until it is open and the color of juice is rich. Then we drain and save that juice. Next we take the plums that have been well-boiled and we push them through a sieve and sometimes cheese cloth as well, gaining the maximum amount of pulp we can. If you do this, you will see that not pitting them yields a great amount of pulp, almost as much as if you had pitted, which is a pain. Then mix the pulp in with the juice and make sure you mix it well before measuring each time and you will have a jam that is marvelous to spread and thich and rich with flavor. Good luck to you.

This pudding should be made some weeks ahead. Baste weekly with brandy. When ready to use pressure cook for additional 45/50 mins. Tradition in England is to put coins in the pudding just before serving. Enjoy