Plum Cheese

Not a cheese at all, but a soft-set fruit jelly, wonderful as part of a festive cheeseboard.

Hands-on time 30min. Cooking time about 1hr 30min. Makes 3 x 250ml jars

2kg (4½lb) plums 1 cinnamon stick 650-700g (1lb 7oz-1½lb) granulated sugar (see step 3)

1 Wash the fruit and cut in half, leaving the stones in. Add the fruit and all the stones, the cinnamon and 300ml (½ pint) water to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25min, stirring occasionally, until fruit is completely broken down and very soft.

2 Pour fruit into a sieve set over a large bowl and push through the sieve, using a wooden spoon to get as much pulpy juice through as you can. Measure the amount you have extracted by

volume – you should have around 1 litre (1¾ pint) – then rinse out your pan and return the pulp to it.

For every 500ml (17fl oz) of pulp, add 350g (12oz) of sugar. Heat the pan gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, turn up the heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bubble steadily until thickened – this will take about 1hr, until you can see the base of the pan when you scrape a spoon across it. Skim any scum that comes to the surface throughout the cooking time. Decant mixture into warm, sterilised jars (see GH Tip on previous page) and seal. Keep in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

PER SERVING (for a 25ml serving)

105cals, 0g protein, 0g fat (0g saturates), 26g carbs (26g total sugars), 1g fibre