Summer fruit compote

Lots of fruit in the house - cherries, currants, raspberries and strawberries from the garden, needing eating. Remembered Delia's recipe, which I used to love so much. Figured it should work with all kinds of fruit. Made a version with 1 plum, lots of cherries, pink currants, blueberries, strawberries. And then another with apple, cherries, pink currants, and a few bluebs and strawbs. Both were great, I should make this more.

3 peaches
6 apricots
6 large plums
225 g / 8 oz blueberries (half = 112.5g)
175 g / 6 oz raspberries (half = 87.5g)
50 g / 2 oz sugar (half = 25g)

Slice peaches, apricots and plums and put in an oven dish with the blueberries. Add sugar. Mix. Bake uncovered for 25-30 min at 180C, until tender. Remove from the oven and stir in the raspberries.  Check the sweetness and add more sugar if it needs it.

Made a half quantity in our smaller baking dish. Was plenty. Used coconut sugar. Tempted to try with no sugar - there is a lot of sweetness in the fruit itself, perhaps it was a little too sweet? Still love it. Ate some with rice pudding, was yum.

Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian yeasted plum cake)

As soon as S saw the plums I harvested the other day, he said 'Zwetschgendatschi'. And I said '?' - the word is quite a tongue twister, and I knew plums as Pflaume and quetsch as squeeze... But then he sent me this recipe, and it seemed like a perfect use for the plums. Apparently these plums are the type of plum you most often see in Germany, and in the South they are called Zwetschgen. Some friends are having a nostalgia-themed equinox party tonight, and this seemed an appropriate thing to take along: my family had plum trees in the garden when I was growing up, so the process of harvesting, preparing and eating plums is nostalgic for me, while this particular yeast-doughed plum cake is quite nostalgic for S as he hasn't eaten it since he was living in Germany more than ten years ago.

I did a little research and found that Zwetschgendatschi comes with a few variables - the dough can be yeasted or can be more like a pastry or tart dough; the base can be flavoured with lemon rind or the topping with cinnamon; a streusel or crumble topping can be added on top of the plum layer. I consulted S and he favoured keeping things yeasted and simple: the only flavours in this version besides the mildly bready base are plum, toasted almond and brown sugar. I pretty much followed the recipe he sent me.

Classic version
(makes one baking tray's worth: mine was 34 cm x 23 cm and technically a roasting tin)

300 g plain flour (plus a bit more for dusting)
2 tsp active dry yeast
50 g sugar
100 ml lukewarm almond milk
50 g fake butter (at room temperature)
1 medium egg (at room temperature) - or 1 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 2.5 tbsp boiling water
a pinch of salt
~700 g Zwetschgen (damson or prune plums)
~2 tbsp demerara sugar
50-75 g flaked almonds

Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well, sprinkle some sugar over it and pour enough lukewarm milk in to cover the yeast. Stir briefly, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and put in a warm place for 15-20 min, until the yeast starts to bubble.

Add the rest of the milk and sugar, butter, egg and salt. Knead until the dough forms a smooth ball, then continue to knead for ~5 min (?). If it is too sticky sprinkle with flour, but try not to add too much flour. Cover the bowl again and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile prepare the plums: Cut in half lengthwise, remove the stone and then cut each half lengthwise again to make quarters. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 355F (180C). Line the baking tray with paper (or brush with oil). Roll the dough out on a clean, floured work surface until it is about the size or the baking tray, then carefully transfer it to the baking tray and pull into shape.

Arrange the plum quarters in overlapping rows, cut side up. Sprinkle evenly with demerara sugar and flaked almonds (use as much or as little as you like, to your taste). Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 min, checking after 20 min to make sure it is not too dark underneath. Remove and let cool in the tray before cutting into squares.


Gluten-free vegan experimental version
(makes 4 mini tart-sized ones in a muffin tin)

50 g TJ's gluten-free flour mix
25 g ground almonds
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
tiny pinch salt
12.5 g sugar
12.5 g fake butter
25 ml almond milk
1/4 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 3/4 tbsp boiling water
3 plums, quartered as above
~ 2 tsp demerara sugar
1-2 tbsp flaked almonds

Heat oven to 355F. Mix flour, ground almonds, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Make a well and add butter, milk and linseed mixture. Mix with a fork and then with your hands until it comes together into a pliable dough. Line muffin cups and press the dough into the bases / up the sides. Arrange the plum quarters on each (I found three quarters per cup fitted), sprinkle with demerara sugar and flaked almonds, and bake for 20-25 min.


Both were great. The classic one was awesome in its lack of intense sweetness (I could perhaps have been a bit more generous with the sugar but I liked it like this). S said it was authentic! And we both liked it - the bready part was slightly sweet and nicely risen, and the juices from the plum soaked in slightly to the bread base and to the almonds, making for a delicious thing somewhere inbetween a sweet bread and a cake - think typically German in the not-too-sweetness, the extensive use of fruit / nuts and simple flavours. The plum flavour really sung out because of that - the almonds and bread just served to complement their gorgeousness. The GF base was not as fluffy but stuck together well and the taste effect was similar. And they were cute in their little paper cases.

Note: this reminds me of Mum's apple cake that I attempted to make here. Perhaps another go at that is in order: I have some apples...

Harvest: quick autumn muffins

I had four and a half pounds of beautiful, black, egg-shaped plums with yellow flesh (harvested Wednesday night in Winter Hill, up a ladder under the Harvest Moon). They are confusing me, actually: they seem to be the variety known as 'damson plums' or 'Italian prune plums'. But they are not what I knew as damsons (the small, sour plum relatives that make the most wonderful jam). Anyway, they are delectable as well as beautiful, and well-suited for baking as not too sweet. I had a few things hanging around the kitchen hoping be consumed: the plums; also some apples and about a cupful of Chimay... It occurred to me to use the ale in baking - its maltiness could lend a dark note similar to the treacle in the apple-caraway muffins I love. Ale plus ginger, pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar (a little, not a lot), wholemeal flour and autumn fruits = quick and easy muffins, full of fall.

(makes ~12 muffins. I used half plums and half apples and halved the batter just before adding the fruit)

12 oz apples or plums (weight measured after coring / stoning)
6 oz plain flour
4 oz wholemeal flour
2 oz sugar
1 oz demerara sugar (plus ~3 tbsp for topping)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 5 tbsp boiling water
1 1/2 oz (72 g) grapeseed oil
175 ml ale, heated and cooled

Heat oven to 375F. Chop the apples or plums into ~2 cm dice. Mix the flours, sugars, spices, baking powder, salt and pecans in a large bowl with a fork. In a separate, small bowl combine the linseed mixture, grapeseed oil and ale. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined. In the final few strokes add the fruit. Spoon the mixture into a prepared muffin tin and bake for ~25 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

(measurements are all over the systems, oops).

Cocoa plum jam

This is a variation on my basic plum jam - I couldn't get the idea of including cocoa out of my head. While I do love plain plum jam I still have some in my storecupboard so it seemed OK to make a variation this time. I got the plums from L, who harvested them with LUrC (along with peaches, pears and crabapples - her kitchen was overflowing with fruit when I went over to help prep it).

(makes ~5 small-medium jars)

3 lb plums, halved and stones removed
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
150-400 ml water
3 lb sugar
5 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp almond essence*

Prepare the plums (I had just over 3 lb, unprepared weight; I prepared them and froze them for a couple of weeks until I had time to jam them - this works well for high-pectin fruit like plums). Put the plums in a large pan along with 150 ml water and lemon juice (I added the lemon juice because I wasn't sure if freezing might have affected the pectin in the plums. Turned out the set was just fine and I don't think I would have needed it). Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, until the fruit is tender and much reduced.

Mix the cocoa with the sugar. Add to the hot fruit, along with the vanilla and almond essences. Bring to a hard boil and boil until setting point is reached. Let cool for 10-15 min, then carefully transfer to sterilised jars and put lids on immediately. Wash and label the jars once they are completely cool and sealed.

*this is as a substitute for the flavour imparted by plum kernels


The jam set perfectly (fairly firm). I think it has a good balance of plum and cocoa flavours, but I need to try more later to be sure.

Edit: it's good, I like it a lot. I ate some last night with a pot of coconut yoghurt I'd been hoarding. I miss yoghurt sometimes. A says it reminds him of Asian hawthorn candy. Only negative is that the cocoa powder makes for a matt texture and you lose the jewel-like quality that jam normally has, but that is entirely aesthetic.

Buckwheat with tkemali-honey dressing

We went to the Russian store yesterday and I got so engrossed in browsing all the different kinds of Tkemali (Georgian plum-herb sauce) that S gave up and left without me. Oops. Still, I left the shop with a bag of buckwheat and a bottle of "Tkemali Classical" and no idea what to do with them, isn't that the best?

This is my first experiment with buckwheat. It took me a little research to work out what kind of buckwheat I'd ended up with (the labels are in Russian, perhaps Ukrainian, illegible to me anyway, obvs). It is dark brown, so I think that means it is kasha / pre toasted buckwheat. So probably not much good for sprouting or other raw style activities, but I am sure there are plenty of things...

1 cup buckwheat groats
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp tkemali
2 tsp white miso
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander (or parsley)

Put the buckwheat and water in a small saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes, until just tender (be careful not to cook for too long as it can turn mushy). Drain if necessary, then let cool. Meanwhile, mix the honey, balsamic, tkemali, ginger and miso in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add the buckwheat and toss. Add the spring onion and coriander and toss again. Like this, it is good as a grain / side type thing. I think the addition of chunks of roasted squash or sweet potato (or cooked beetroot) would turn it into a full on, super tasty salad.


The buckwheat is interesting: similar to bulghur wheat in texture, and very earthy in taste. I know it is used for porridge as well, perhaps I will try that next...

Plum jam

The other day, Grandma was telling me about their anticipated harvest of Victoria plums.  I have never yet found any Victorias here, a shame since in my opinion they are a completely different and more wonderful fruit than any other kind of plum.  And so, I had plum jam on my mind.  And this afternoon at the Haymarket I scored a bag of small, purple plums (labelled 'Prunes') - 3 lb for $2.

I considered putting in something else - cassis maybe, or vanilla.  But the most excellent thing to add to plum jam is the kernels from the plums themselves.  My grandma and my mum both did this - I remember Mum sending Dad out to the garden to crack open the stones and extract the kernels for her jam.  They have a delicate, almondy flavour (and look a bit like tiny almonds too).

Makes 5 standard sized jars.

3 lb plums
300-450 ml water
3 lb sugar

Wash, halve and stone the plums.  Crack some of the stones and remove the kernels.  Put the kernels in a bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Leave for 1 minute, then rub off the skins.  Put the plums, halved kernels and water in a large pan (start with smaller quantity of water, add more as needed during cooking).

Bring to the boil, then simmer until the fruit is tender and the pan contents much reduced.  Add the sugar and stir til dissolved, then boil hard to setting point.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then spoon into sterilised jars while still hot.

Baking produce

I have this thing where if I have the oven on I need to try and use it for a bunch of stuff to justify heating it up in the first place.  Sometimes this works, and sometimes it leads to hours in the kitchen...

Last night it worked.  I wanted simple, summery food - veggies / fruits and herbs / spices.

Baked courgette with rosemary and lemon

2 courgettes (super fresh from the farmers market), sliced into thick (~1in) rounds
olive oil
~6 cloves garlic, peeled but not chopped
salt+pepper
rosemary
lemon juice

Heat oven to 375F.  Rub the base of an oven dish with olive oil, then lay out the courgettes, cut sides down/up.  Slip the garlic cloves into spaces between the courgettes.  Sprinkle with a little more olive oil, salt+pepper and roughly chopped rosemary (fresh would be better, but I only had dried).  Put in the oven for about 45min, turning the courgette pieces about halfway through.  Take out and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top then serve.



Baked tomatoes with onion and basil

1 small tub cherry plum tomatoes
~4 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
1 onion, roughly sliced
handful fresh basil leaves, washed and roughly torn
salt and pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Heat oven to 375F.  Put all the veggies and basil in an oven tray, add salt and pepper and olive oil to taste and shake to coat everything with olive oil.  Put in the oven for ~45min, shaking about halfway through to keep things cooking evenly.  Add a little balsamic vinegar when you take it out if you like - it complements the tastes pretty well.



Baked, spiced plum and blueberry compote

3 large black plums
handful blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 a star anise (optional)
sprinkling of sugar

Heat oven to 375F. Chop the plums into ~eighths and arrange in a baking tray.  Add the blueberries, a sprinkling of sugar and the cinnamon stick (and anise if using... a rosemary sprig also a good option).  Put in the oven for ~ 30min.  Careful to avoid eating the spice / herb bits.


Ate the veggies with some cous cous.  All tasty and simple, and pretty quick.  Wasn't that sure about the anise but S said he liked it.