Plums - Anything But Ho Hum

Plums

ANYTHING BUT HO HUM

WORDS HARRIET BOUCHER | IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

ROASTED BLACK DORIS PLUMS, CINNAMON WAFFLES AND DUKKAH PRALINE

One way to win over mum is to whip these up for a breakfast-in-bed treat! You can make the plums well in advance if they are bountiful. Warm them up before serving if they aren’t fresh out of the oven. The dukkah praline adds a nutty, sweet but savoury crunch that brings it all together, but the waffles and plums alone will also do the trick.

ROASTED PLUMS

1kg Black Doris Plums 3 tsp rose water (available at Vetro and Herbal Dispensary) 2 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup white sugar

Cut the plums in half and remove the stone. Place cut side up on a tray. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, rose water and vanilla. Mix to combine, then smear over the plums. Make sure the plums are fully covered in the sugar mix. Bake in the oven at 210°C for 20–25 minutes or until the sugar is syrupy and the plums are soft but still hold their shape.

CINNAMON WAFFLES

115g butter 2 cups flour 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 large eggs 1½ cups milk 2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter in the microwave, then set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the batter. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together, then slowly whisk in the melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Heat the waffle iron according to the instructions. Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray, then pour the recommended batter quantity in, depending on the size of your machine. Bake the waffle until the batter is cooked through. Note that due to the cinnamon and brown sugar, this waffle mix may look darker than a standard batter!

SWEET DUKKAH PRALINE

1 cup of nuts (I use a combination of hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts and almonds) ¼ cup sesame seeds 1½ tsp fennel seeds pinch of flaky salt 1 cup white sugar ¼ cup water

Pre heat the oven to 160°C.

Place the nuts, sesame seeds, fennel seeds and salt on a tray and toast for 5–10 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to a mortar and pestle (or a blender) and gently crush, keeping it a bit chunky. Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan, bring to a boil quickly (do not stir), then turn it down to a medium-low heat. Keep an eye on it the whole time, giving it a swirl if needed to even out the colouring. Once the sugar turns a rich amber colour (this will happen very quickly so keep an eye on it), quickly pour in the dukkah and give it a brief stir, then pour onto a lined baking tray and spread out with a spatula. Allow the praline to cool, then smash with the end of a wooden rolling pin or a meat mallet to get chunky pieces, or blitz in a high-powered blender to get a finer, sweet nutty crumb. To construct the waffles, place 1–2 waffles on a plate. Dollop some whipped cream or mascarpone on top, then place a few warm roasted plums around the cream, making sure you drizzle some roasting liquid over the waffle. Sprinkle some praline across the waffles and serve alongside a hot coffee or tea.

LUISA PLUM AND FENNEL SALAD WITH BURRATA

This is a refreshing summer salad, and who doesn’t love burrata? I used the frozen pizza dough from Vetro, proved it, rolled it out with some semolina flour and grilled it with lots of olive oil and sea salt. If you are after a quicker option, serve it with your favourite fresh bread, flatbreads or pita.

1 fennel bulb (reserve the fronds) 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tsp brown sugar zest and juice of 1 orange (about ¼ cup juice) 6 Luisa plums (firm is best) 1–2 radishes handful of basil leaves 1 burrata (available at Vetro) ½–1 tsp sumac flaky sea salt pepper

Finely shave the fennel on a mandolin, then place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, brown sugar and the zest and juice of the orange to the bowl and mix in. Allow the fennel to marinate for 10–15 minutes.

Halve and pit the plums, then thinly slice lengthways. Julienne the radish. Add the plum, radish and fennel fronds from the bulb into the bowl of fennel. Give it a gentle mix so you don’t damage the plums. In a shallow serving bowl, place the burrata in the middle. Arrange the salad around the burrata. Sprinkle the sumac and salt and pepper over the salad, then garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve with chargrilled flatbreads or pita. Use up those early season plums with this Chinese five spice chutney. Serve this chutney alongside your Christmas ham, turkey or roast chicken, then use it with leftovers toasted sandwiches for days to come. You can also blitz it up for a smooth plum sauce.

1 small onion, diced 4cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated (around 30–40g) 1kg of Billington (Christmas) plums, cut into large cubes 2 apples, peeled and grated ¾ cup malt vinegar 1 cup water ¼ cup soy sauce ¾ cup brown sugar large pinch of chilli flakes 1 tbsp Chinese five spice ¼ tsp cloves good grinding of pepper

Place all ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down and reduce into a thick chutney, about 1 hour. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

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