My mother’s sister, Kathe, used to make Plaumenmus but roasting plums on low in the oven for hours, with sugar and some lemon juice. Here’s my take on her recipe, using plums in jars or tins.

Ingredients | Method | Makes about 400 g | Takes about 3.5 hours from start to finish

Ingredients

• 3 x 700 g tins or jars whole plumes in juice
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 star anise
• 5 cloves
• 4 strips of lemon rind (use a vegetable peeler)
• 1 tsp ground cardamon (optional)
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 30 ml cognac (at the end, if you like)

Method