German-style plum jam

It seems the raining season has arrived in Sydney now. After beautiful sunny autumn days which we spent mostly at the beach it's time for staying indoors and cooking jam. Plums are in abundance right now and there is a plum jam in Germany I always loved since it isn't too sweet with lots of spices and because it's cooked for so long it develops a very dense and velvety texture. There are many colloquial names for that plum jam in Germany but the most common names are Pfluemli, Powidl oder Zwetchgen- bzw Pflaumenmus. This particular plum jam is also used as a filling for the Austrian Germknoedel which you will definitely come across and love when skiing in Austria.

Recipe:

2kg sugar or blood plums, halved and pitted
1 kg sugar
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 sprigs thyme
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Put plums and sugar in a large saucepan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
2. Add spices and thyme to saucepan and simmer gently over medium-low heat for 4-5 hours or until thick and syrupy. You only want to see the occasional blub while simmering.
3. Scoop out spices and put aside. Blend plums to a thick puree, add spices and lemon juice and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for another 2 hours until very thick and dark.
4. Discard spices and fill into sterilised jam jars.

The jam is beautiful on sourdough rolls, hot cross buns or as we enjoyed it at our Easter brunch on a yeast plait with poppy seed. The recipe for the plait is here.