Extra Plum butter

January 3, 2014 11:15 AM

As one of my christmas cookies, I made Plum pinwheels (similar) this past christmas, and was left with a bit too much plum jam/butter. What else can I cook with it?

So this plum butter (jam? paste?) that I have is amazing. Its basically prunes + dried red currants cooked down with butter, sugar and spices and it rich and magnificent. I have already made over 100 cookies with it, and I still have a solid 1.5 cups of the paste left. I am cookied out for now, what else can I use this on?

Currently I've been putting it on goat cheese on crackers (om nom nom), but that's barely making a dent. I also don't really have much of a sweet tooth, so ways I can use it with cheese/meat would be awesome

The only think I could think of was stuffing a pork loin with the paste+ chopped nuts+ maybe an apple, but that probably won't use up more than 2-3 tablespoons, and may still be too sweet. What other savory things can this be used with? What else can I add it too? a port wine sauce?

Also, it's already 2 weeks old, and it's been in the coldest part of my fridge... any thoughts on how much longer it will last? or would freezing be a good idea?

Assume I'm an above average cook, with NYC at my disposal. I do not mind buying crazy other ingrediants to cook with this paste.

posted by larthegreat to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Stir it into oatmeal!
posted by something something at 11:17 AM on January 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: That stuff's going to last basically forever if you keep it covered (so stuff doesn't fall in) and in the fridge. My husband made fruit mince last Christmas (dried fruit, sugar, butter, spices) and he ate the last of it in October I think. Mould is probably the main thing you need to worry about, like all jam, so maybe make an effort to only put clean spoons in there.

Personally I'd use it with roast duck, possibly rubbed over while cooking, possibly in a side sauce, maybe in the stuffing depending on how overkill I wanted to go. Gamey meats like duck or, ooh, hare or wild boar or goose, will take the sweetness of the fruit just fine. You could even use it with chicken in place of cranberry sauce if you get the right recipe.
posted by shelleycat at 11:31 AM on January 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

(PS I am one of those that reflexively answer No! to 'can I eat this questions' and am generally pretty cautious about storing food long term, but I really think you're good with this)
posted by shelleycat at 11:32 AM on January 3, 2014

Best answer: Yes to pork, yes to duck, yes to goat cheese...but I also imagine it would freeze really well. You could divide it up into tablespoon-sized blobs, wrap each individually, and keep them in the freezer for a long, long time, adding them to things as the spirit moves you.
posted by neroli at 12:22 PM on January 3, 2014

You can definitely freeze it--I've frozen similar-sounding prune butter to put atop oatmeal, and it was great.

I bet that it would also be great filling for thumbprint cookies, rugelach, blintzes, or pączki. Labor intensive, I guess, but you can freeze it now and make pączki for Fat Thursday.
posted by MeghanC at 12:42 PM on January 3, 2014

in the same spirit as MeghanC's, you can also make hamantaschen with the plum butter.

things I learned living near a large jewish population
posted by k5.user at 1:57 PM on January 3, 2014

All of the above, plus stir it into yogurt. Or spread it on toast, or on a peanut butter sammich.
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 7:14 PM on January 3, 2014