Plum butter</p><p>Makes about 3 cups</p><p> </p><p>1 vanilla bean</p><p>4 pounds ripe plums, pitted and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges</p><p>3 cups sugar</p><p>¼ cup fresh lemon juice</p><p> </p><p>Special equipment: 5 ½ pint canning jars with lids and screw bands; a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot at least 9 ½ inches in diameter; a food mill fitted with a fine disk</p><p> </p><p>Sterilize jars by boiling for 10 minutes in a covered pan; leave jars in water in pan with lid on until ready to fill. Sterilize lids by heating to just below boiling, then leaving in water in covered pan until ready to use. Wash screw bands and dry. </p><p> </p><p>Chill two small plates for testing butter. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pot. Add pod, then add plums, sugar and lemon juice. Slowly bring to rolling boil over moderate heat (this will take about 15 minutes), stirring frequently. Boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, until plums are tender, about 5 minutes.</p><p>Remove and discard vanilla pod. Force plums, with liquid, in batches through food mill set over a bowl. </p><p> </p><p>Transfer puree to pot and simmer, uncovered, over moderately low heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan frequently (stir constantly and adjust heat toward end of cooking to prevent scorching), until butter is very thick and tests done, 1 ½ to 2 hours. Drop a spoonful of plum butter onto chilled plate and refrigerate for 1 minute, then tilt plate; butter should remain in a mound and not run.</p><p> </p><p>Drain jars upside down on clean kitchen towel for 1 minute, then invert. Ladle plum butter into jars, leaving ¼ inch space at top. Run a thin knife between plum butter and sides of jars to eliminate air bubbles.</p><p> </p><p>Seal jars and process by boiling in covered pan for 10 minutes; cool filled jars, checking after several hours to make sure the lids are concave. Check the seal by unscrewing bands and trying to remove lids. If a lid comes off easily, store that jar in the refrigerator and use first.</p><p> </p><p>| From Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl