Plum Butter

• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 4 lb ripe plums, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Special equipment: 5 (1/2-pint) canning jars with lids and screw bands; a food mill fitted with fine disk

1. Sterilize jars and lids .
2. Freeze several small plates to use for testing butter.
3. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot.
4. Add pod and stir in remaining ingredients.
5. Slowly bring to a rolling boil over moderate heat (this will take about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.
6. Boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, until plums are tender, about 5 minutes.
7. Discard pod.
8. Puree plums with liquid in batches in food mill set over a bowl.
9. Transfer puree to pot and simmer over low heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan frequently, until very thick, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
10. (To test for doneness, drop a spoonful of plum butter on a chilled plate, then tilt; the mixture should not be runny.
11. It should be about as thick as jam.)
12. Drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel 1 minute, then invert.
13. Ladle plum butter into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top, then run a thin knife between plum butter and jar to eliminate air bubbles.
14. Seal, process, and store filled jars , boiling plum butter in jars 10 minutes.
15. Let plum butter stand in jars at least 1 day for flavors to develop.

vanilla bean, wedges, sugar, lemon juice, canning jars with

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/plum-butter-105235 (may not work)