Plum Jam

I had planned to make some lovely glazed lemon muffins with a dab of homemade plum jam in the middle, but I never managed to get around to it ... ah, such is life. I've got a pretty long list of things I'd like to make, should've made, wish I'd made; just one more item to jot down.

A very good friend had given me a half-dozen enormous plums, sharing some of the exceptionally generous bounty he'd been given by a colleague. They were fabulous all on their own, of course; but you know me -- always gotta tinker, always gotta make something, always gotta be cookin'. And jam is easy, so that's usually my first thought when I have extra fruit.

So the first order of business was to make the jam, or else there'd have been nothing to put into the muffins (since I didn't know at the time that there'd be no muffins to put the jam into!). I just chopped the fruit, added some sugar, and I added a splash of red wine (Sangiovese, the same type I'd sampled at the recent wine tasting) to give it a little extra depth. I never bother with pectin, I just cook it all down 'til it's thick.

So now I'm ready to make a PB&J ... or to make those lemon muffins, should another craving strike!

Plum Jam

2 very large plums, pitted, chopped into 1/2" dice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.


Heat over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a boil. Stir occasionally at first, then as it starts to thicken and the fruit starts to soften you need to stir frequently and press upon the fruit to mash it.

Cook for 45 minutes or so until the consistency of jam.


Place into a covered container and refrigerate until cool.

"Now It's Dark"

I'm not particularly a fan of David Lynch, though I did love the first season of "Twin Peaks" with all its eccentricity. So, of course, when Tom and I were at an upscale grocery store the other day and found Blue Velvet apricots, my first thought was that kitschy Bobby Vinton song; Tom's, as I'm sure you've already guessed, was the movie.

So I thought about titling this post "She wore blue velvet," since the apricot is, indeed, wearing a blue coat now that it's mated with a plum. But that seemed trite and obvious, so I dug a bit for a quote from the film. And lemme tell ya, THAT took some doing! Most of the lines had -- shall we say? -- considerable vulgarities ... not my style. I'm not offended if the words actually serve the character's purpose (as they do in "Pulp Fiction," for example). But I was not going to post anything on my pretty pink blog that didn't represent me in all my prissy, girly-girl glory!

But anyway ... always a digression, isn't there???

I found the perfect line, spoken by Kyle MacLachlan's character: "Now it's dark." It's been so long since I've seen the movie that I have no clue whatsoever what it refers to ... could be anything, with David Lynch. But it's ideal for this situation: now the apricot is dark.

And it's also sweeter -- more plum flavor than apricot, though before you cut it it clearly looks like an apricot whose fuzz was injected with some ink. Once it's cut, it looks a lot like a plum -- juicier than an apricot, which tends to have a firmer flesh.

I've eaten several varieties of pluot -- a different cross of plum and apricot: some greenish and mottled, some purple, some red. And they are clearly variations on the theme of plum. This, however, appears to be an apricot that has stopped breathing and turned dark blue as a result, until you delve into the depths and find distinct evidence of plum within.

I always love to find new and intriguing foods, particularly produce. I've eaten yellow carrots and ones that were maroon on the outside and orange in the center ... for the most part, they all tasted like standard carrots.

Tomatoes of all colors -- from red to pink to yellow to green to striped -- are fabulous, each with its own unique fragrance and flavor.

I love multi-colored beets -- traditional deep red, orange, and even pink-and-white ones that are reminiscent of candy canes.

I loathe green peppers (I can eat them if someone puts them into something that they're serving me, but they're too bitter and too overpowering to really be suitable as a food, methinks). But red ones, orange, yellow, and even purple ... these I can go with either sliced and used as dippers, or sauteed, or roasted.

When nutritionists tell us we need to eat colorful food, these beautiful Blue Velvet apricots certainly help in that mission! And they were so good that, if they weren't so wretchedly expensive, I would absolutely buy them again ....

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