GOLDEN PLUM CHUTNEY
Tamarind-style • Sweet, tart & spicy • Freezer recipe. Perfect for serving with cured meats, cheeses nuts and a great baguette. Also wonderful as a glaze for roasts fish and chicken
Ingredients
- 7½ cups golden plum purée
- 3 cups granulated sugar plus more to taste if needed
- 2 –4 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger to taste
- 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
- 3 small Thai chiles finely chopped, or to taste
- Instant/no-cook pectin according to package directions for the amount of prepared fruit
Instructions
Make the Plum Purée
- Pit the golden plums and place them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and juicy.
- Blend directly in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth. Measure 7½ cups of purée.
- OR, for whole or previously frozen plums: Place the plums in a large pot or slow cooker and cook gently until completely soft and the pits release easily. Pass the cooked fruit through a strainer to remove the pits and skins as desired. Measure 7½ cups of the strained purée.
Make the Chutney
- Return the plum purée to the pot. Add the sugar, ginger, orange juice concentrate and Thai chiles.
- Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the flavors have melded. Taste and adjust the sugar, ginger or chile to your liking. The finished chutney should be tart, fruity, gingery and sweet-hot—reminiscent of tamarind chutney rather than traditional plum jam.
- Remove from the heat and cool as directed for the brand of instant/no-cook pectin you are using. Add the pectin according to its package directions. Pectin brands vary, so use the manufacturer's recommended amount and method rather than substituting an amount from another brand.
- Spoon into clean freezer-safe containers, leaving about ½ inch headspace. Refrigerate until completely chilled, then freeze.
Notes
Try another fruit: This recipe doesn't have to stop with golden plums. Yellow plums, red plums, nectarines, peaches or apricots would all be delicious with the ginger-orange-chile combination. Because fruits differ in sweetness, acidity and natural pectin, adjust the sugar to taste and always follow the directions for your particular instant pectin when changing fruits.
Turn the heat up or down: For a gentler chutney, start with 1 Thai chile or omit the chile entirely for a sweet ginger-plum preserve. For medium heat, use 2–3. If you love heat, add another chile or two. Removing the seeds and inner membranes will also soften the heat.
Play with the spice: Fresh ginger gives this chutney much of its character, but there is plenty of room to experiment. Try a small amount of ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon or garam masala for a warmer, more aromatic chutney. Start lightly—you can always add more.
For an especially bright version, add a little fresh orange zest. If you prefer the plum flavor to take center stage, reduce the ginger and leave out the Thai chile altogether.
Serving suggestions: This is wonderful anywhere you would serve a fruit chutney or savory preserve. Spoon it alongside cured meats, salami or prosciutto, or add it to a cheese and charcuterie board with aged cheddar, Brie, chèvre or a nutty Alpine-style cheese. Add dried apricots or dates, toasted walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, and plenty of crusty French baguette.
It's also delicious with roasted pork, chicken or turkey; spread onto a sandwich with cheese and cured meat; tucked into a grilled cheese; or spooned over warm Brie or goat cheese.
FROM THE TRAIL: Our golden plums were gathered over several walks along a favorite Portland nature trail, taking only what we could use and leaving plenty behind for other walkers and wildlife. What began as a few sun-warmed plums eaten along the trail became three baskets, a freezer full of fruit—and this sweet, tart and spicy chutney.