Food & Drink

It’s almost plum season. Mine are looking likely to be ready earlier than usual this year and it’ll be a bumper harvest. This takes me to these two easy-peasy recipes that I do each year using either my freshly-harvested (or frozen) plums, but shopbought are good, too. This delicious plum gin needs only three ingredients and is best made about three months prior to drinking, so it would be ready just in time for Christmas, but you can cheat and have it early if you’re feeling a bit maverick. First you need a bottle of gin. Or vodka. Not everyone realises that vodka, essentially a clear, flavourless spirit, is like the base of gin before juniper berries get added to give the classic gin flavour. However, as flavoured gins are the new black, tipplewise, what you add for flavour is up to you. If you’ve a favourite gin use that, if not, vodka it is. I’ve used both, there’s not much difference. Saying that, I prefer a gin base. No idea why! Next you need the fruit. I use plums as I have a Czar plum tree in my garden that yields masses of the things every August, though damsons work well, too. Start with freezing the fruit in a bag overnight (it makes de-stoning so easy) or until you’re ready to ‘distill’.

You will need: 1 litre Kilner jar 500g fruit 250g sugar 70cl bottle of gin or vodka

Method: 1 Put the sugar in the jar. 2 Take fruits from freezer, wrap in a cloth (it may stain) and bash the heck out of them for a few minutes. This splits them open, revealing for easy stone removal. Place the smashed fruit on top of the sugar and stir together. 3 Add all the gin or vodka and stir again. I like to add one or a mix of the following optional ingredients: a couple of star anise, a cinnamon stick, an uncut chilli, a handful of peppercorns; a bayleaf. Seal and store upright in a cool, dry place. Every few days, whenever you remember, give it a bit of swirl around to mix the ingredients. After three months, or when you’re ready, strain through a very fine sieve, bottle and drink straight as an aperitive, long with tonic and ice, or even mulled. Cheers!

Plum, Pear and Apple crumble This crumble is basic and so easy to make, but whenever I serve it people sigh with happiness. My mix is half plums a quarter of apples and a quarter of pears, but you can use them all equally or just do half and half of whatever you’ve got in.

Ingredients: 500g mixed fruit Quarter to half tsp cinnamon powder, depending on your taste 75g soft brown or granulated sugar 50g cold butter 100g plain flour 50g demerara sugar

Method: 1 Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180C/160C fan 2 Use smashed, de-stoned frozen plums as per the gin recipe and leave them in chunks then peel and chop apples and pears; mix all the fruit in a bowl with the soft sugar. 3 Line an ovenproof dish with the fruits packed quite tightly. 4 Make the crumble. Chop the butter into chunks and work into the flour with dry, cool hands until it’s a breadcrumb texture then add the demerara sugar; mix in gently. 5 Spread the crumble mix over the top of the fruit (you can sprinkle a little more demerara on top for added crunch) then bake in the middle of the oven 35 to 45 mins or until golden. Serve with good vanilla icecream, cream or hot or cold custard.

Let’s let ready to crumble

How to earn brownie points with the children this summer

Chocolate Brownies

Brownies are super easy to make and the perfect bake to get the kids involved with during the summer holidays. These brownies are deeply chocolatey and gooey, the secret ingredient is a shot of coffee which really enhances the flavour. Ingredients: For 12 generous servings For a gluten free option, substitute the plain flour for gluten free plain flour.

225g dark chocolate 225g salted butter 5 free range eggs 335g soft brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 150g plain flour 1 teaspoon coffee granules dissolved in a little boiling water Method: Preheat the oven to 175c Line a rectangular brownie tin with baking paper or for ease use a disposable foil tray Place the chocolate and butter into a plastic bowl and melt in the microwave, using short bursts. Stir until the chocolate and butter are fully mixed In another bowl whisk the

Cooking...

with Martha Legg

My nephew Chris and his family really like my cheese straws. I make them for family parties as my contribution. I have lots of different shapes depending on the occasion. Hearts for Valentines Day, eggs and rabbits for Easter, pumpkins, spiders and bats for Halloween. You get the picture! I even have a special one for my Dad in the shape of an old fashioned aeroplane. I am fascinated with all the different cutters you can buy, I even have one of a tractor which is my granddaughters favourite vehicle. Back to Chris. One year at Christmas, Chris had obviously got bored with my usual cheese straw shapes and decided to set me a challenge! As a Christmas present, he brought me some giraffe and elephant cutters. I looked at the package and thought, ‘well, that’s not very difficult’. Then I realised that the cutters formed pieces of the animals and that you had to put them together to make a 3D model!! The first couple of attempts resulted in failure. Cutting out and cooking the cheese animals was fine. Putting them together was a different matter! They were very delicate. The giraffes in particular tended to lose their heads, and the baby giraffes could never stand up on their feet. (A common problem, I think, when they are first born.) The elephants would stand up fine, but when you went to put the ears on, they would either fall off, or if you pressed them down to fit, you could break them in half!! I had many attempts and then I realised that if I had a legless giraffe or an earless elephant, it didn’t really matter, it was the general overview and taste that was important! So, I learnt to make extra legs and ears, after all, who was to know that about the failures? I could eat the evidence and no one would be any the wiser! So, you can stick to the traditional straws or have fun with different cutters, or make your own design. Ingredients: 4oz Plain flour 2oz Margarine or butter 2oz Cheese Pinch of salt 1 egg

Method: Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the salt Grate the cheese and add to the breadcrumb mix Stir in the egg until the mixture looks like pastry. Add more flour if its sticky or add water if it’s not sticky together Dust a surface with plain flour and then roll out until its about 1/4 inch thick Use cutters as desired Place on a baking tray, with space for them to spread Cook at 200 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown.

Enford Farm Shop Durweston DT11 0QW Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, fruit, veg, free range eggs and lots more. Follow us on Facebook for all our latest meat pack deals and what’s in fresh that week. with these top chocolate brownies Fresh 昀sh van in the car park eggs, sugar, and vanilla Wednesdays 9.30am-2pm extract until smooth Half a pig approx £100 then add the dissolved coffee Chicken feeds etc available Fold in the flour gently Open Wednesdays to Saturday Add the melted 8.30am-4pm. chocolate and butter, mix until fully incorporated Outside shop with self service for essentials 8am-8pm open daily Pour into your baking tin and bake for 01258 450050 approximately 25-30 minutes or until cracks appear on the top, the key to a gooey brownie is not to over cook it, if you stick a skewer in the top, it should still have mixture on it, this goes against all the rules for cake making but I guarantee you will have the best brownies. Allow to cool and slice into squares. Top Tip – Double the mixture and make 2 tins of brownies, one for now and freeze one. They freeze well once baked. nRecipe by Sadie Smith, award winning cake designer and baker from Cake by Sadie Smith, Wimborne.