Pp Is For Plum

What grows in clusters is dark in skin color, round in shape and comes in as many varieties as apples?  Why it’s a Plum!  Though, as I mentioned, there are hundreds of varieties, Plums are divided into two distinct groups, Japanese Plums (these actually originated in China) and European Plums.  The difference being European Plums are sweeter and the more delicate Japanese Plums tend to be juicer.

 Plums don’t often find their way into my grocery cart.  Probably because too many times I’ve bitten into one that has resulted in my making an involuntary sour face similar to when I’ve eaten a Sweet Tart candy.  However, I chose wisely this week and my Black Plums are extremely sweet and juicy.  Whenever I come across a Plum “spin-off,” Plumcots and Pluots, I do buy them.   I have yet to find the Aprium, another Plum hybrid, which is predominately apricot with some Plum edging its way in.   Apriums are shaped like apricots and have fuzzy skin.  Pluots are more Plum than apricot, round in shape and the smooth skin of its Plum parent.  Plumcots were created by American horticulturist Luther Burbank, and are the sweetest of all the Plum spin-offs. 

Not too many ingredients - oh, eggs too. 

 Being it’s still summer, fruit remains the strong hold for my seasonal alphabet of foods.  Plums are in season from late May to early October.  Look for Plums that are firm but not so hard they don’t give a little when you apply a bit of pressure.  Avoid picking those with cracks, soft spots or brown discolorations.  Once home, keep them in your refrigerator for up to four or five days.  This is when you can enjoy their juicy, sweet slightly spicy flavor.  Beyond that time frame, your Plums would best be served up as an ingredient in a sweet or savory dish such as a galette, crostada, jam or sauce reduction.  Notice I didn’t include Plum Pudding.    

During the late seventies I worked as a waitress and cook in a small restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, called the English Tea Room.  It was here I learned to prepare good chicken and beef stocks from scratch and how to boil and prepare beef tongue which we used to make sandwiches on the thinnest of bread slices.  As a college student, I enjoyed my supervisor’s tutelage.  I learned the differences between Bass Pale Ale, Watney’s Red Barrel and Guinness Stout (to this day my favorite beer).  Of course I am well versed in the proper English preparation of Welsh Rarebit and English Trifle.  But we never did prepare Plum Pudding.  Though we did sell it proudly encased in tin containers decorated with patterns of traditional Tartan prints.

Our staff did everything, from waiting and bussing tables to cooking and keeping the bar.  Where, of course, there was always a good game of darts going on.  While working at the English Tea Room my skill at playing darts finally exceeded my skill as an archer.  One night, after hours, the son of the owner sat and enjoyed his Guinness as I wiped down tables and tended to general cleaning.  Looking up from his stein of beer, a bored Steven decided to challenge me to a game of darts.   I was more than glad to set down my mop, wipe my damp hands on the front of my bar-maids apron and fetch my personal set of darts from my locker.  My set was not nearly as ornate and opulent as the one Anne Boleyn reportedly gave to King Henry the Eighth in 1530, but they were the right weight for my hand, had slim barrels for tight groupings and the flights were really pretty.  Steven poured himself another beer then trickled a bit of his serving into a small glass for me.  I was still under 21. 

Holding my dart at eye level, right foot in front of the left, weight forward, and holding my body upright, careful not to lean forward, I released my first dart smoothly and with only a minimal amount of push.  My dart landed in the Red Bull of the 18, doubling my score from 18 to 36.  My next two throws were comparable.  Steven grunted a “pretty good for an American girl,” then grabbed his darts.  Two were tight in the middle, 50 points for the Red Bull, 25 points for the Green Bull, the third hitting the metal break causing it to fall to ground.  Steven, who hated looking stupid in front of American girls, mumbled something about the number of Guinness he had consumed.  Surprising Steven I beat him at his game.  A testament to what American girls can accomplish. 

Another English favourite - Herring Pie. 

 We put away our darts at the urging of my supervisor, Valda.  Wiping her own damp hands on the bar towel that hung from the ties of her floral printed apron, Valda pulled up a stool and announced we were done for the evening.  She meticulously brewed a cup of Earl Grey tea for herself as Steven poured himself a small glass of port.  I was still nursing the small amount of beer he shared with me earlier.  The three of us continued the conversation Steven and I had started before our dart game about other English traditions such as cricket, the Edinburgh Festival and of course British foods, such as Bangers and Mash, Bubble and Squeak, Hot Cross Buns (there’s even a song about them and it’s the only tune my little sister learned to play on the piano) Simnel Cake (a spicy cake layered with marzipan and served on Mother’s Day) and Spotted Dick (another pudding-like cake prepared with currants), which brought me back to wondering way no one has bothered adding Plums to Plum Pudding.   It was Valda who explained that “Pud,” as it’s affectionately called by many Brits, why there are no Plums in Plum Pudding.  Apparently during medieval England times, when this dish was created, the word Plum was used when referring to currants or raisins, which Plum Pudding is filled with.    

 

To celebrate the Plum in its own right I’d like to partake of the wealthy Brit’s tradition who enjoyed French cuisine by preparing a French dessert,  clafoutis.  Originally created in the Limousin region of France, clafoutis is a custardy, cake-like batter topped with fresh fruit.  Traditionally made with black cherries, but this week Plums!

Smells so good while baking!

A very easy and a most forgiving dessert for those of who are pastry challenged. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter – room temperature              1 ¼ cups half and half

6 tablespoons granulated sugar  + extra for dusting pan       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract                                                         zest of one lemon

4 whole eggs                                                                                  ¾ cup all-purpose flour

2-3 plums, sliced thin                                 

Confectioners and crème fraiche for garnish

Preparation                                                                          Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Generously grease a cast iron skillet with butter and dust with granulated sugar.

In mixing bowl add sugar, eggs, almond extract, vanilla extract, lemon zest and half and half, blend until well combined.

Mix in flour, batter will be thin.

Pour batter into prepared skillet and scatter sliced plums into batter.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes

Cake will be puffy and golden brown, but deflates quickly.  Sprinkle finished cake with confectioners sugar.  Spoon a dollop of crème fraiche ( or vanilla ice cream) on each serving. 

Light, sweet and oh so simple!