In my humble opinion, red plums make the best preserves, and certainly one of the easiest. Their skins give the jam a pleasant tartness and contain so much pectin that even inexperienced jam makers will be blushing like rosy plums with the pride of success. Tossing the fruit with sugar and letting it stand for a few hours intensifies the color of the strawberries so that the jam cooks up with a vivid crimson color.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 4 cups (1.25 kg)

　　2 1/2 cups (1 pound/450 g) strawberries, hulled and diced into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces

　　1 pound (450 g) red plums (about 10), halved, pitted, and cut in 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices

　　2 1/4 cups (450 g) sugar

　　

Step 1

In a large pot or a Dutch oven, toss the strawberries and plums with the sugar. Let stand for at least 1 hour, tossing occasionally to encourage the fruits to release their juices.

　　

Step 2

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture is not burning on the bottom, until the jam reaches the jelling point (use the wrinkle test, page 256, to judge when it’s done).

　　

Step 3

Ladle the jam into clean jars. Cover tightly, let cool, and refrigerate.

　　

Storage

Step 4

The jam will keep for at least 6 months in the refrigerator.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.