Gluten free recipes 
Market Produce
Plums (Prunes)
Recipe for spiced plum jam, perfect on brioche, croissants and with cheese – plus a review of the new Neo Cook Jam-making Scale by Terraillon.
Terraillon Digital Jam-Making Scales
Just as I finished making a batch of Corsican fig jam, I received these rather clever jam-making scales from the French digital kitchen scale experts at Terraillon, just in time to make this spicy plum jam. As you know, I believe that digital scales are a real kitchen necessity if you’re aiming at CONSISTENTLY SUCCESSFUL RESULTS – especially in baking – but when I heard about these jam-making scales, I had no idea what they were.
What makes them different to classic digital kitchen scales?
The Neo Cook Jam scales have a clever jam button.
Switch the scales on, place on your container and set the scales to “0”. Weigh your prepared fruit (here it was 1.551kg), hit the jam button, and it tells you HOW MUCH SUGAR IS NEEDED for the weight of fruit. Continue to add the indicated amount of sugar (here it was 1.008kg); as you add, the amount decreases until the perfect weight is achieved, finishing at zero. It’s so easy!
Ratio of Sugar to Fruit
The scales are set by default as 750g sugar to 1 kilo of fruit but this ratio can easily be changed by hitting the jam button for 3 seconds and selecting your desired amount of sugar quantity per kilo.
I easily RESET the ratio of sugar to 650g per kilo of fruit and as you can see, discovered that I had over 1.5kg of plums and so needed just over a kilo sugar.
Metric vs Imperial
No problem if you don’t like working in grams, kilos or millilitres: simply set the scales to imperial ounces, lbs and fluid ounces at the switch of the unit button.
Things I particularly like About the Jam Scales
- The Jam button is clever – Terraillon, you’re jammy. This will be so useful for smaller quantities of fruit that have an uneven weight.
- Its Timer Function is very handy: I often discover mid-flow that I’ve finished a packet of sugar and need to find another one in the cupboards. In this scenario my previous scales would normally switch off so this is a great feature. You can set the timer for a couple of minutes or even up to 99 minutes;
- There’s also a pause button: useful for heavy containers or packages that may prevent visibility of the screen;
- My previous digital scales use 4 AAA batteries: the Terraillon Neo Cook Jam Scale uses only two;
- They’re light-weight, slim, stylish, with an easy-to-clean glass top;
- Jam-making is made quick and easy: jams will be consistently perfect using these scales, no matter how much fruit you have each time.
I recommend these innovative scales even if you don’t use the jam feature. I also love the additional timer and hold buttons so much that I’ll be using them for other baking and cooking. I see they’re available in the UK at Lakeland, who have EU delivery.
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post written September 2016 and was given the new Neo Cook Jam Scales by Terraillon for the purpose of a review. I was not required to be positive and, as always, all opinions are my own.
Spiced Plum Jam
Servings : 4 jam jars
Description
Preserve the last of the summer fruits with Spiced Plum Jam.I t makes ideal holiday gifts with its warming spices - and delicious on brioche, croissants or served as part of a cheeseboard.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (1lb 3oz) Victoria Plums (ripe but still quite firm) stones removed
- 650 g (1.5lb) Granulated sugar
- 2 Star anise
- 2 tsp Gingerbread (pain d'épices) or pumpkin spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash and cut the plums in half, removing the stones (there's no need to peel the fruit). Weigh the fruits and add the equivalent of sugar (I use 750g to each kilo), adding the spices and lemon juice then leave covered at room temperature for about 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the star anise and cinnamon stick. In a large high-sided jam pan, boil up the sugared spicy plums, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. After 5-10 minutes, skim off and discard any skum (white foam) that appears on the surface. Continue for about another 15 mins until the fruit softens and the jam thickens.
- Ladle or spoon into sterilised jars, leaving a gap of about a centimetre at the top (To sterilise: I just use the dishwasher, as machines' normal settings should be hot enough to sterilise them. If you don't have a dishwasher, clean the jars and lids in soapy water, rinse then immerse for at least 10 mins in boiling water).
- When the jam is cool, screw on the lids, turn the jam jars upside down then label and store in a cool dry place.
Comments (8)
[…] Spiced Plum Jam […]
[…] new jam-making scales just at the end of the plum season and I was so impressed (read my detailed review here). You know how you can never predict if you have 1 kg of fruit and end up with a funny number […]
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