Ceres is orchard central
In Cape Town we are so lucky, as we are about an hour and a half drive from one of the main orchard-fruit growing areas of South Africa. The beautiful valleys and mountains surrounding the town of Ceres are home to lots of large fruit farms. The climate is typically Mediterranean and perfect for growing fruit such as pears, apples, peaches, plums and nectarines during the summer months. Adam and I drove through recently on our way up to Tankwa Karoo National Park. A lady was selling boxes of fruit on the side of the road, so we purchased a box of plums and a box of nectarines for R60 each (about £3). These boxes contained a good 10kg of fruit and lasted us about 2 weeks! The fruit was unbelievably sweet and juicy. It was so good, we felt tempted to drive back 2 weeks later and buy more!
Summer spiced plums for pudding
On the second week the fruit was starting to get a little over ripe. I turned some of the very soft fruit into jam and some into compote. I used the slightly firmer plums for this delicious baked summer spiced plums recipe. The plums shouldn’t be too soft as they tend to disintegrate. This dish is very versatile and easy to make. With a dollop of unsweetened Greek yoghurt, it is the perfect healthy pudding. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is the perfect ‘unhealthier’ pudding. If there are any leftover (which there probably won’t be!), they can be chopped up and sprinkled over muesli with some Greek yoghurt for a slightly luxurious breakfast. Another great option for any leftover summer spiced plums, is a spiced plum crumble. Simply chop them up, pop in a baking dish, sprinkle over a simple crumble, and bake till golden.
Red wine makes a lovely sauce
In terms of the alcohol used for poaching, if you would like a nice red sauce then use something like red wine or port. Port will give a much sweeter result, so you will need to reduce the sugar slightly. If you would like to make it alcohol free, you can substitute the wine for a fruit juice such as apple, orange or grape. I like to add a little squeeze of lemon juice and dilute the juice with a little water, so that it is not too sweet. Red grape juice will give you a lovely red sauce, similar to the one made with red wine.
Baked Summer Spiced Plums
Print This
Ingredients
- 8 medium dark-skinned plums (ripe but not too soft)
- 350ml red wine
- 60g castor sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 vanilla pod
- A pinch of salt
- 5ml cornflour
- 50g flaked almonds
- Icing sugar, to dust
- Unsweetened Greek yoghurt, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan).
- Wash the plums well and place stalk side up, in an attractive baking dish.
- Place the red wine, castor sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods into a small pot.
- Cut the vanilla pod in half, lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape the seeds into the pot. Place the two pod halves into the pot as well. Add a pinch of salt to the wine mixture, then gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- As soon as the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat. Allow to cool a little, and then pour the sauce over the plums.
- Place the plums in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning once, till the plums are soft and cooked through, but still holding their shape. The cooking time will vary, depending on how ripe or firm the plums are.
- Remove the plums from the baking dish with a slotted spoon, and pour the cooking liquid back into the pot. Bring to the boil. Make sure the edges of the baking dish are clean, and then return the plums to the dish.
- Once the sauce has come to the boil, let it reduce for a couple of minutes, to concentrate the flavours.
- Mix the corn flour with 15ml cold water in a small bowl. Gradually add the cornflour paste to the sauce, whisking all the time, so as not to form lumps. Cook for a few minutes, whisking all the time, until the sauce is glossy and a nice coating consistency (not watery, but still pourable).
- Pour the sauce back over the plums.
- Turn the oven up to 180°C (160°C fan). Place the flaked almonds in a small roasting tray, then roast for about 5-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and toasted.
- Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the plums. Place a little icing sugar in a fine sieve, and dust a sprinkling over the plums.
- Serve hot with unsweetened Greek yoghurt. Alternatively the plums can be served with cream or ice cream, or just simply by themselves.
