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| Home made plum jam with black pepper |
If I had a choice of just one spice for the
rest of my life it would have to be black pepper. Salt and black pepper for the
savoury dishes and I could live with that. Assuming I could additionally have
sugar for desserts that would leave room for an exciting playground. For a
couple of years now, on and off, I have been flirting with black pepper in
sweet combinations with great success to my taste. If the presence of chilli in
a dessert would be recognisable as a striking soprano, then the black pepper
has rather a lower voice, like alto, to perform in the choir.
I would characterise the black pepper in a
dessert as deceptive in the beginning, luring around the corners and then
explosive like a New Year´s fireworks, or in case of Switzerland rather like a 1st
of August fireworks. The Swiss National Day in the capital of the country ends
with great privately sponsored fireworks in 6 scenes accompanied by special
arrangement of music on a local radio channel. People gather in best viewing
places, some bring their radios. But back to pepper, the mouthful of the
dessert starts sweet followed by a flash of “what was that?” and the surprise
kicks the palate at the end leaving the eater open eyed thinking let me try
again to see what just happened, again and again...
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| Plum Jam |
Plum jam with black pepper
1.2 kg plums, remove the stones and cut
into small(er) pieces (Zwetschgen in Swiss German)
1 kg of sugar or special marmalade sugar
1-2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper or vary
to your taste
Wash and prepare the fruit, bring to boil
with sugar and boil for ca 5 minutes until fruit is soft. Follow the
instructions on the pack if using the special marmalade sugar.
Remove the foam. At the end stir in the
black pepper.
Fill the glasses and close with the lids while
still hot.
Related posts: Peppery Strawberries