plums Archives - Sugar et al

Don’t be ‘fool’-ed by the appearance of this dessert. It looks like one of those pretty, mousse like treats in a glass that take a bit of time and effort to make but not this one. A fool is nothing but a dessert where cooked, pureed fruit is folded into whipped cream or custard. Its a light, refreshing treat and depending on the type of fruit you choose, it’s like a celebration of that fruit because that is what you taste all through. No eggs, no flour, I’d say it’s a brilliant idea whoever came up with the thought. Plums are abundant since the last one month and the fruit is pulpy and juicy so Plum Fools were my first choice. And of course, consider this an an official announcement that I cannot live without rosewater so a few drops in my desserts here and there should come as no surprise to you.

If you notice, I’ve added a little yogurt to my cream to make it lighter and I quite like the taste of yogurt. To decorate the Plum Fools, I’ve added dried pomegranate seeds, smashed raspberries, edible rosebuds and edible violas. Feel free to add stewed fruit (because you will be stewing them in the process) as a topping, or chocolate chips or anything else you like.

Have a great-rest-of-the-week and weekend guys. We are getting ready for a lot of rain in the next dew days. Not happy but as always staying indoors and baking is never a bad idea either.

Plum Fools with Rosewater
Serves 5

3-4 ripe plums, stoned and roughly chopped
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 cup heavy cream/whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks and refrigerated until needed.
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp rosewater
Dried pomegranate seeds, to serve
Fresh raspberries, to serve
Edible flowers, to serve

Place the plums and sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat (add a few tbsp of water if required). Simmer till plums have broken down and mixture has thickened. Puree the plums in a food processor and then return the puree back to the saucepan.
Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer till it is considerably thick ( and not watery). Cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl whisk together the cream and yogurt. Add the rosewater and 3/4 cup of the plum puree. Gently fold in. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate. Serve chilled with your favorite toppings.

This post reminds me of my favourite time of the year..Summer! I adore everything about Summer. But what sets it apart from the other seasons for me, is the abundant choices it brings along when it comes to fruits and vegetables. I’m far from Summer at the moment…quite the opposite to be precise but the last I remember of Summer was filling up my baskets with loads of sweet, luscious stone fruits at the markets and biting into them as soon as I reached home.

Plums are still available here though its winter (I spotted them at Coles yesterday) but I like to buy them in season. So this is one of those recipes I promised I would pull out from my reserves for my friends in the northern hemisphere. I actually have quite a few Summer recipes that are yet to be posted. A small consolation I guess, as we get past the colder months.

This is a lovely tray-bake cake. Easy to make yet combining the best of two worlds. A baked cheesecake and a regular moist cake with fruit in it. There are multiple textures that come to play as you take a mouthful. The plums can be replaced with any other stone fruit or even berries. The cake tastes best when warm with a custard or whipped cream on the side.

Plum Cream Cheese Swirl Cake (Adapted with variation from Delicious Magazine, March 2012)
Serves 10

250g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (55g) castor sugar
4 eggs
175g softened unsalted butter
175g brown sugar (about 7/8th of a cup)
200g self-raising flour, sifted (about 2 cups)
400g plums, seeds removed, sliced
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line an 18cm x 28cm lamington (rectangular) pan.

Add cream cheese, vanilla, castor sugar and 1 egg to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Place butter, brown sugar, flour and remaining 3 eggs in a clean bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Spread half the flour mixture in the tray followed by half the cream cheese mixture, swirling to gently combine, then top with half the plums. Top with remaining flour mixture, cream cheese mixture and plums. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.

Dust with icing sugar, slice and serve warm with a custard or whipped cream.