Perfect In-betweens

It's unlikely you will find these cherry plums at your local store but you may find them at a growers market or more probably a friends tree. They are ripening now (just after the height of cherry season but before the plum season, how perfect) and the best flavour is gained from one ripened on the tree and eaten at room temperature and no two are the same. Some taste of vanilla and some of rosewater and some pure classic "plum". This variety is from a green leafed tree and quite sweet unlike my experiences with the purple leafed variety of cherry plums that I find a bit tart. They are perfect for lunch boxes and in between snacks but mostly I pluck as I wander the garden and I share the windfall with the chooks and even Bella dog likes a few de-seeded ones. We have had children visit and fill their T-shirts and what a perfect memory of summer that is.

This style of plum is not great for chutneys or the like as the seeds are too hard to remove without sacrificing precious flesh and are best eaten with passion and seed spitting. I will not attempt to preserve these, this is one of those times to embrace the season and the glut and simply enjoy the fruit in it's perfect abundance.

Rhubarb and Vanilla Vodka

I've started my Christmas gifts already.

Seems a little early I know but I had a last harvest of ruby red rhubarb a couple of months ago and took the opportunity to create something for the store cupboard.

We talk a lot about preserving on this blog; bottling, pickling, dehydrating...

well another method is to use alcohol. 

In this instance I've extracted the rhubarb and vanilla into vodka.

After washing 600g of rhubarb cut it into 2cm lengths and place into a stainless steel pan with 250g sugar and a split and scraped vanilla pod. Stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and then cook to soften which only takes a few minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Place the cooled mixture into a 2 litre sterilised jar and pour over a bottle of vodka (700-750ml) and stir and seal. Shake occasionally.

This is the mixture when it is first put up. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the progress photos that showed the vodka developing a deeper colour and the rhubarb swelling and jammy.

After a couple of months it should have developed a lovely pink colour and it can be strained and decanted into sterilised bottles for sealing.

The vodka has now taken on the flavours and sweetness and can be drunk neat as a type of liquor or mixed with lemonade or soda over ice or even a dash in champagne and I bet there are other cocktail recipes to be imagined too.

Mine made four small bottles of which I will label and put aside for giving at Christmas. 

The same can be done with many different fruits, you've probably already heard of sloe gin which is gin infused with sloe berries. Lee uses damson plums also in a similar way. 

Shake the pinky gorgeousness to distribute the settled vanilla seeds before enjoying.

One final tip, because of the high oxalic acid in the rhubarb, strain through stainless steel strainers or cloth as it will react with plain metal like wire mesh strainers. Naturally also the pink varieties of rhubarb are what is needed for the beautiful colour.

This takes very little effort and creates a stunning gift. 

Upside Down Plum Cake (Conventional and Thermomix Version)

When plums are in glut this is one of my favourite cakes to make every year. The combination of sweet honey and rosewater marry perfectly with the tart plums. It is an adapted recipe from Vogue Entertaining magazine autumn 2003.

Ingredients

185g butter

400g castor sugar (or regular

sugar if you have a Thermomix)

1 tabs of honey

6 large plums eg blood plums stoned 

and sliced lengthwise into sixths

2 large eggs

2 teas rose water

185g self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 180C

Conventional Method

Put half the butter and half the sugar and honey into a saucepan and stir over a low heat till the butter melts and makes like a sauce with the sugar.

Pour this into the bottom of a 23cm/9" cake tin (preferably not a springform as it may leak during cooking)

place the cut plums on top making an outer circle and then one inside that.

Cream the remaining butter and sugar, add one egg at a time beating well then the rosewater. 

Add the flour and milk alternately and when mixed pour over the plum slices. 

Bake for about an hour till a skewer comes out clean

(pretty standard huh, that's what is good about this cake)

Let it cool for half an hour and the sides tend to shrink away from the tin but if unsure run a knife around before inverting onto a plate.

Thermomix Method

Place half the sugar in the Thermomix and process 3 seconds on speed 9.

Add half the butter and a tab of honey 

1.5 mins, 50C, speed 3

Pour this sauce over the bottom of a 23cm'9" cake tin

arrange plum slices on top as in attractive circles working from the outside in.

No need to wash the Thermomix

Place the remaining sugar in and process to castor as before 

Add the butter and blend 3 secs speed 5-6

Add the eggs, flour, milk and rosewater

Blend on speed 5-6 for 30secs

Pour on top of the plum slices.

Bake for about an hour till a skewer comes out cleanly.

Let it cool for half an hour and the sides tend to shrink away from the tin but if unsure run a knife around before inverting onto a plate.

You must use butter and nothing will substitute or you will have an inferior result, it really is king in this recipe. You could use vanilla essence instead of the rosewater but hey, you bought a bottle of it for that other recipe so you might as well use it up! If you don't have rosewater go and buy some. It's great to have in the cupboard and really turns a milk pudding into a panna cotta. This year I used ginger honey but if you are a leatherwood honey fan you'll enjoy that instead. Oh the combination possibilities!