This week’s collection of recipes is all about the plum – whether black, blue, damson, Italian, pluot, red or yellow. With recipes for Julia Child’s Plum Clafoutis, Shrimp & Plum Kebabs, and Plum Chutney, we have many delicious ways to make the most of the late-summer fruit.
Choose plums with smooth skin; shrivel- and bruise-free. Ripeness can’t be judged by colour as there are so many different plum varieties. Instead, go for plump fruit that is slightly soft and avoid hard or very soft plums. Store plums in a paper bag, out of the fridge, or unwashed in the fridge for several days.
Nutritionally speaking, three small plums make up one serving of fruit. Plums are a antioxidant-rich, and a good source of fibre, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
For last year’s look at plums, see our previous post.
This Rustic Plum Tart from Martha Stewart is a galette, or round free-form cake, filled with sliced red plums.
And a bonus recipe, a Damson Plum Tart from Ian Knauer, which includes a frangipane filling topped with sliced plums.
Gratinee shares Julia Child’s recipe for Clafoutis aux Pruneaux, with apple and pear variations. This flan-like dessert is a perfect way to showcase in-season stone fruit or berries.
Look for Damson or Verity plums from this cupcake recipe from Warner’s stand at Ottawa Farmer’s Market at Brewer Park (via Ottawa Citizen).
Caprese salad is typically made of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, salt and olive oil. This variation from House & Home features black and green plums in place of tomatoes, and a pomegranate drizzle in addition to the traditional olive oil dressing.
A splendid summer appetizer, ceviche is prepared by marinating raw seafood (in this case fresh scallops) in citrus. You’ll need a plum, fresh tarragon, and cayenne pepper in addition to the scallops and citrus for this recipe from Mark Bittman (via A Couple Cooks).
Fire up the grill and make this quick kebab recipe from EatingWell, which combines shrimp in a cilantro-lime marinade, jalapeño peppers, and plums.
As Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall points out in his column for The Guardian, “Of course, we love plums in sweet things, but their acidity works well in savoury dishes, too.” Fearnley-Whittingstall shares two recipe for savoury accompaniments: Plum Salsa and Plum Chutney. Serve the chutney with cheese or cold meats, and the salsa with chicken or pork.
Another recipe from Dragan’s Well Preserved cookbook – Plum Jam (via Small Potatoes). Enjoy plums throughout autumn, winter and spring, or give away as a tasty homemade gift.