Fresh plums are turned into a silky smooth, spiced chutney. I created this recipe with a various selection of food combinations in mind.
You can use it with your favorite meats, cheeses, breads, and vegetables as a dip, spread, or topping.
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TL;DR
During plum season, I like to prepare a plum jam or plum chutney to retain the juicy fruit goodness of the late summer and early fall.
My chutney is similar to a jam. I purposefully made it this way because it has so many serving uses, and I wanted it to be universally useful.
The idea is to inspire your imagination. Think plum chutney and a cheese board, plum chutney and baked brie, plum chutney and meat skewers, or grilled ribs. The possibilities are endless!
The recipe is fairly simple. Cook and infuse the fresh plums with a selection of spices, blend, and use.
Ingredients
- Plum — fresh and ripe.
- Ginger — Adds some freshness to your plum chutney.
- Garlic — Compliments the onion and ginger.
- Onion — Small onion or half of a medium-sized onion. I used a white mild onion type, or you can get shallots too. Avoid overpowering onion varieties.
- Sugar — to balance out the tart and spiciness.
- Star Anise — Adds licorice-like flavors, which goes well with the other flavors.
- Clove Spice
- Cinnamon Stick — Or Cassia
- Lime Zest — or Lemon Zest.
- Vinegar — White wine vinegar or distilled vinegar.
- Salt & Black Pepper
How to make it?
Step 1
Prepare all the fresh ingredients. Quarter the plums, and chop the peeled ginger, garlic, and onion roughly.
Place all into a saucepan or smaller pot.
Step 2
Take the pan to the heat and add in one by one the sugar, the star anise, the clove, the cinnamon, the lime zest, the vinegar, and at last the salt and black pepper.
Step 3
Mix it all well and cover.
Simmer down until the fruits are cooked and the chutney is aromatic.
Step 4
Take out whole spices and blend to a smooth consistency.
Step 5
Place into clean, sterilized jars and store.
📖 Recipe
Spiced Plum Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Plums
- 1 Inch Ginger Fresh
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 Small Onion
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- 1 Corner Star Anise
- 1 Clove Whole
- 1 Inch Cinnamon Stick
- 1-2 Inches Lime Zest or lemon zest, *See Notes
- 2 Tablespoon Vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Pinch Black Pepper
Instructions
- Quarter the fresh plums and discard the seed core. Collect the plums in a small saucepan or pot.1 Pound Plums
- Peel and roughly chop the ginger, garlic, and onion. Add them to the plums in the pan.1 Inch Ginger Fresh, 1 Garlic Clove, 1 Small Onion
- Take the pan to the heat. Keep on a medium heat setting and throw in the remaining ingredients: the sugar, star anise, clove, cinnamon, lime zest, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.¾ Cup Sugar, 1 Corner Star Anise, 1 Clove Whole, 1 Inch Cinnamon Stick, 1-2 Inches Lime Zest, 2 Tablespoon Vinegar, Salt, Pinch Black Pepper
- Mix it all well and leave it to simmer covered on a medium-low heat setting. The plums need to soften gradually while they get infused with the spices. The chutney is done cooking once the plums look glossy and they have disintegrated.
- Pick out the whole spices and discard them.
- Blend the chutney to a smooth consistency with the hand blender.
- Pour the plum chutney into a clean, sterilized jar. Fill up the jar, clean up if you made a mess with an absorbing sponge (Wettex) and close the jar with a tight lid.
- Store the jar or use it as needed.
Notes
Equipment
- Sauce Pan or small pot with a lid
- Hand Blender to blend the chutney smooth
- 2 Half Pint Jars or little more than a 12-ounce jar (or 1x 390 ml jar)
- Soup Ladle to pour the chutney into a jar
- Silicone Spatula to help take out all the chutney from the pan
- Wettex Absorbent Sponge to clean up
- Jam Label
Nutrition
Tip
You can add a chili pepper to add heat to the chutney. A few drops of a hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula, is another great heat addition.
Sweet plums may require a little more vinegar added to balance out the flavor profile. Adjust the vinegar quantity according to the sweetness of your plums. The plums that I used in the pictures were medium sweet-tart.
Ideas to Use
We have used this plum chutney as a spread or dip with cheese, as in a cheese charcuterie board, or with soft cheese served with bread at the end of a meal. My spiced goat cheese log makes for a great addition.
I love it with all melted cheese. Think Swiss raclette cheese, or with a cheese fondue or spread over brie to bake.
Paul has been spreading this chutney over his cream cheese on a freshly baked bread.
Meats are, of course, another great way to enjoy this flavor-packed plum chutney. As this is a fall chutney, I'd serve it with wild game, braised red cabbage, and foraged mushrooms.
Veal pairs well with this chutney too. I love a classic Hunter's Schnitzel with chanterelle mushrooms or a Wiener Schnitzel with this spiced fruity chutney.
Storing Instructions
The chutney can be stored on a shelf in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight. Once unsealed, store in the fridge.
Don't double-dip, as this can cause mold growth!
To add another layer of safety and protection to your chutney jar, you can water bath can them. Keep the canned chutney jar in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight. Once unsealed and opened, keep in the fridge.
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