Five-Minute Plum Jam

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   You only need two ingredients to make this jam: plums and sugar. Use ripe, unblemished plums. Remove the stems and rinse the plums well. The sugar amount is approximate—go by how sweet your plums are.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cut the plums in half and pit them. You can leave them as halves, or cut them into slices or cubes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Transfer the cut plums to an enameled or glass pot. Don't use aluminum, so the fruit juice doesn't react with the metal.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cover the plums with the sugar, put a lid on, and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours so they release their juice. Don't add all the sugar at once—taste the jam during the first cook, and if it's a bit tart, stir in a little more.

5. Step 5:

   

   Once the plums have given off their juice, set the pot over the heat and bring it all to a boil. Stir from time to time so the jam doesn't scorch.

6. Step 6:

   

   Once the jam boils, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Plums cook down very quickly, and the jam turns a beautiful bright color. Skim off any foam that forms with a spoon.

7. Step 7:

   

   Sterilize the jars however you like—in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water. Wash and rinse them well first, and rinse the lids with boiling water. Ladle the boiling jam into the jars and seal them.

8. Step 8:

   

   Turn the jar upside down, wrap it in a blanket, and let it cool completely. Why the blanket? Wrapped up, the jam cools very slowly and turns out thicker.

9. Step 9:

   

   Once the jars are cool, move them to a cool place for storage.

10. Step 10:

    

    On a winter's day, there's nothing like opening a jar of fragrant jam and remembering the warm summer days. Enjoy this fruity treat!