Summertime heat in a pandemic during a political season calls for a time out. … Take a deep breath, feel the gratitude not the despair — and get some plums before the season is over.
Luckily, this year we had a plum tree in our back yard that gave us just enough Santa Rosa red plums for a few batches of tart, sweet plum ice cream. We call it The Giving Tree with Boundaries. Unlike Shel Silverstein’s classic book, this tree in our yard doesn’t give us everything; it says ok, here are some delicious plums, but lady, that’s it until next year. Find some other tree to provide until then.
Here is the recipe we used to make this summertime treat, courtesy of The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz. He is a former Chez Panisse chef, now living in Paris and constantly tempting us with tales of croissants and fraises du bois; even during lockdown, he always manages to make the markets of Paris look like paradise.
And while we’re in gratitude mode, we noticed that our local chef/cooking guru, Pascale Beale, had an absolutely beautiful idea about what to do with summer plums. Actually, this will work for any stone fruit, but it looks so lovely we used her original plum recipe for what she calls Plum Souffle Cake. It’s only a souffle in that it rises, but don’t be intimidated… it’s a cake and it’s delicious.
Dream of cool breezes and summer romance; take a walk on the beach early in the morning; watch a toddler jumping the waves for the first time; hold onto hope… and enjoy a perfect plum.
- 1 pound (450 grams) ripe but firm plums, (We used red Santa Rosas but any will work -- use about 8 good sized ones).
- ⅓ cup water
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kirsch (ok, I may have used just a little more; it's optional but if you have it, use it!).
- slice the plums in half and remove the pits.
- Cut each half into 4 wedges and put them all into a medium saucepan with the water.
- Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, puree in a blender or food processor with the cream and kirsch until smooth... it will turn a beautiful color!
- Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker until you get the consistency you want, about 20 - 30 minutes. Put into freezer containers until you're ready to enjoy, and at that time, let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so to soften just a tad before serving.
- 8 ounces (16 tablespoons) butter, plus a little butter for the cake pan
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- 4 large plums, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 6 egg whites
- ¼ cup plum jam (I use Bonne Matin)
- Powdered sugar for dusting at the end.
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Butter or use a cooking spray to coat a 9-inch cake pan that has a removable bottom.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Whisk in the baking powder, flour, and almond flour, until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and let cool for five minutes.
- Add the chopped plums and egg yolks. Mix until the batter is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Carefully fold half the egg whites into the cake batter. Once fully incorporated, carefully fold in the remaining whites.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake onto a rack and let it cool completely.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a serving platter or cake stand.
- Heat the plum jam in a small saucepan until it is syrupy. Brush the top of the cake with the plum jam.
- When the cake has cooled completely, dust it with powdered sugar and serve.