Another real simple homemade preserves type of recipe here today. This time for a jam made out of orange and Mirabelle plums. Sweet, tart, fruity, light, and so lovely on toast or cheesecake.
Baking with Mirabelle Plums
A little while back I shared this recipe for a simple spiced plum jam with a more common plum variety. Around the same time I also had an abundance of ripe and juicy Mirabelle plums so decided to make a batch of jam with them as well.
I love Mirabelle plums in baking. They're sometimes a little less common around here, but so good in a plum clafoutis or as a cheesecake topping. I love their beautiful golden sunset color and and how deliciously sweet and tart they are.
You can use other plum varieties for this recipe if you prefer, just keep in mind the color will be different of course, and also you'll need to adjust the level of sweetness to your liking (just be careful when you taste the jam not to burn your mouth as it will be very hot! Cool if off well before tasting).
Inspired by their glowing orange hue I decided to pair them here with orange juice and zest and some velvety and smokey maple syrup. So quick and simple, and so good!
This type of recipe is a very quick way to make a refined sugar-free (maple-sweetened) preserves. Just 3 wholesome ingredients, a pot and spoon, and enjoying the lovely aromas of caramelizing fruit is definitely my kind a jam ;)
Quick Plum Jam Storage Notes
Refrigerated (and assuming of course that the storage jar has been sanitized ahead of time) this jam will last for months in the fridge and can be used as a simple homemade refined sugar-free jam alternative or in baking as needed. You can also freeze it for later use if you prefer.
Mirabelle Plum Jam
A deliciously sweet and tart orange and mirabelle plum jam, sweetened with maple syrup (refined sugar-free).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: approx. 1 cup
- Category: Jam, preserves
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: vegan, dessert
Ingredients
- 2 cups rough chopped and de-stoned ripe mirabelle plums*
- ⅓ cup dark maple syrup
- zest of 1 orange
- juice of 1 large orange (approx. ¼ cup orange juice)
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into a medium-small sauce pan (with tall-ish walls). Stir the mixture together to combine all the ingredients. Things should look like this at this stage:
2. Bring to a light boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low (or low, as needed) and simmer for approximately 30 minutes -- stirring frequently towards the end as the mixture reduces and thickens (the stirring helps to lightly break the plum chunks apart).
3. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10-20 mins. Transfer the jam into a small glass jar or container. Let it cool down to room temperature and then place (and store) in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
*Other plum varieties can be used as well, ideally a sweet and tart variety.
Patricia says
How long will this jam last in the fridge? I have a lot of Mirabelle plums this year!
The Real Person!
Hi Patricia, so long as the jam jar is clean and sanitized when you fill it (i.e. out of the dishwasher), and so long as it doesn't get contaminated with other perishable substances (like dipping a knife with something else on it into the jar), it'll last you months and months. I think the longest I've had a jar in the fridge was 6 months, and it would have probably lasted longer had I not finished it at that point :)
The Real Person!
P.S. lucky you to have so many Mirabelle plums!! :)
Gene says
Hello!
This recipe sounds delicious. I’m wondering if the last item in the ingredient list was meant to say, “zest and juice,” otherwise I don’t understand the comment in parentheses. The item simply is for the zest, but in parentheses it says juice.
The Real Person!
Hi Gene. I just edited the recipe to make things clearer. I used one large orange, zested it lightly first, then juiced it and got about 1/4 cup orange juice out of it. I put the juice quantity as a reference because if for any reason the orange someone else uses yields less juice than that, then more juice would need to be added to get to a 1/4 cup roughly.
Enjoy the jam :)