PREP: 30 minutes COOK: 25 minutes PROCESS: 10 minutes MAKES: 6 half-pints

Toasted Walnut-Plum Conserve

What You’ll Need

5 cups finely chopped ripe purple plums (1¾ to 2 lb.)

1 cup water

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 cups sugar

1 cup finely chopped pitted dried plums (prunes)

1½ cups chopped toasted walnuts

How to Make It

1. In a 4- to 6-qt. heavy pot (tip, page 228) combine fresh plums, the water, and lemon juice. Using a potato masher, lightly crush plums. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes or until plums are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and dried plums.

2. Return to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts.

3. Ladle hot conserve into six hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.

4. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)

Serving Idea: For an easy appetizer, serve this conserve over baked Brie. Or try it spooned onto popovers or biscuits.

PER 2 TBSP. CONSERVE: 89 cal., 2 g fat (0 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 0 mg sodium, 17 g carb., 1 g fiber, 1 g pro.