PLUM GOOD!

Plum Good!

            As the old saying goes: “Be careful what you wish for”! All of August we bemoaned the lack of that real summer warmth, that is necessary to  ripen this year’s garden bounty. By September mother nature relented, but in her whimsical way forgot to include enough moisture in form of rain to take care of the growth spurt in response to sudden heat and humidity. To quote Gilbert and Sullivan (Princess Ida): ”Oh, isn’t your life extremely flat, with nothing whatever to grumble at!”

            Anyway, fall and its fruit are upon us with all the myriad of choices of not only fresh fruit, but all those mouthwatering deserts that seem to get forgotten the rest of the seasons. Peaches and plums, our two most popular stone fruits, make an appearance before the long and popular season for visiting apple orchards.  Unfortunately local peaches have been scarce this year. Our peach tree had only 2 blossoms this spring demonstrating the reason for this year’s poor showing. On the other hand, plums seem to be plentiful and offer the opportunity to revisit some old and favorite recipes.

            Fresh red or black plums make a delicious and light desert when sliced, combined with orange sections and sprinkled with slightly sweetened coconut. Briefly grilled they present a pleasing accompaniment to chicken or pork, and work just as well as peaches in that capacity.  However, my favorite is a black plum (or prune plum) upside down cake.

                                                Plum upside down cake

            Cut 5 large black plums in half, remove the stone and slice each half in ¼ inch slices. Melt 1/3 cup butter in an 8 or 9 inch metal cake pan and stir in ½ cup packed brown sugar until melted. Stir in 1 Tblsp. maple syrup. Layer the plum slices in the butter mixture in concentric circles covering the entire bottom. If using prune plums, cut them in half only and set them in the mixture cut side up, again using enough plums to cover the entire bottom. Any spaces between the fruit can be filled with pecan halves (optional). To prepare the batter: In a small bowl whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder and ¼ tsp. salt. In a medium bowl cream ¼ cup butter with ½ cup sugar and 2 eggs, one at a time. Beat in ½ tsp. almond extract. Then using a wooden spoon stir in the flour mixture alternatively in 2 or 3 portions with  ¼ cup milk, starting and ending with flour until batter is smooth.  Spread batter evenly over the plums. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, showing that the cake is done. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert on a plate with a rim for some juice that will settle around the cake. Serve warm or cool with or without whipped cream.

            An even simpler baked plum desert can be made using a recipe similar to the traditional Apple Brown Betty, which is really a bread pudding. The juicier texture of plums makes this a simple and moist desert.

                                                Plum Brown Betty

            Toast and cube 6-7 slices of stale bread from a 1 lb loaf. Toss in a 3 qt. bowl with ¼ cup melted butter and ½ tsp. ground nutmeg. Butter a 11x6x2 inch glass baking dish or equivalent and spread ¼ of the crumbs in the pan. Toss the rest of the crumbs with 1 cup sugar. Wash and halve 8-10 red plums (~1 lb), remove the stones and slice each half in 5-6 slices. Spread ½ of the plum slices over the bread in the pan, cover with ½ of the bread and sugar mixture  Follow with the second layer of plums and another layer of bread and sugar mixture. Dot with additional butter if desired. Cover tightly with non-stick aluminum foil and bake the covered dish  in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes until fruit starts bubbling up. Remove the cover and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove to a cake rack and allow to cool. Serve warm with whipped topping or if served cool, a scoop of ice cream is also tasty

Plums may be less popular than peaches, but make some very delicious, satisfying and plumb good deserts. .

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)