flipMirabelle Plum Jam from Lorraine
Mirabelle Plum Jam from Lorraine
Why this dish? The mirabelle is the fruit pride of Ferry's Lorraine. Harvested in August, it was put into jars to last through winter. For this minister born in Saint-Dié, the golden mirabelle was the literal taste of his native land, that corner of eastern France he never stopped cherishing.
A golden, fragrant jam where the mirabelle reveals its balance of sweetness and acidity. The quintessential preservation technique: keeping the Lorraine summer in jars for the cold months.
In August, in my country, the mirabelle trees bend under the weight of little golden plums, and there is not a house that does not set to work with the copper preserving pan. We pit the fruits one by one, weigh them with sugar, and stir them for a long time over the fire until the jam coats the spoon. Believe me: opening a jar in the heart of January is to find, in an instant, all the sun of Lorraine. I have never known a more precious reserve in the pantry.
- •Ripe mirabelle plums — a large basket (fruit)
- •Sugar — in measured parts with the fruit (preservation and flavor)
Mirabelle Plum Jam from Lorraine
A golden, fragrant jam where the mirabelle reveals its balance of sweetness and acidity. The quintessential preservation technique: keeping the Lorraine summer in jars for the cold months.
Why this dish? The mirabelle is the fruit pride of Ferry's Lorraine. Harvested in August, it was put into jars to last through winter. For this minister born in Saint-Dié, the golden mirabelle was the literal taste of his native land, that corner of eastern France he never stopped cherishing.
In August, in my country, the mirabelle trees bend under the weight of little golden plums, and there is not a house that does not set to work with the copper preserving pan. We pit the fruits one by one, weigh them with sugar, and stir them for a long time over the fire until the jam coats the spoon. Believe me: opening a jar in the heart of January is to find, in an instant, all the sun of Lorraine. I have never known a more precious reserve in the pantry.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe mirabelle plums — a large basket (fruit)
- Sugar — in measured parts with the fruit (preservation and flavor)
Ingredients
- Pitted mirabelle plums — 1 kg (fruit)
- Granulated sugar — 700 g (preservation and flavor)
- Juice of half a lemon — 1/2 lemon (acidity and setting (pectin))
Method
- Wash, halve, and pit the mirabelles.
- Place them in a preserving pan or large pot with the sugar and lemon juice; let macerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring and skimming.
- Check the setting: a drop placed on a cold plate should gel slightly.
- Pour boiling hot into sterilized jars, seal, and turn the jars upside down until cool.
How it was made : In the 19th century, jam-making was an essential late-summer pantry task in Lorraine: the mirabelles were cooked in a copper basin with almost equal parts fruit and sugar, the only way to preserve fruit before the cold. The jars were sealed with wax or paper soaked in brandy.
The contemporary twist : Add a vanilla bean or a pinch of cardamom, and serve the jam warm over farmer's cheese.
Jules Ferry · Charactorium
