British plum season is short but sweet, running from August through to October, and now is the time to revel in it. Whether you favour the ruby-skinned Victoria, the deep, dusky Marjorie Seedling or the golden-green greengage, this is when plums are at their ripest, juiciest and most flavourful – perfectly poised between sweet and tart, with just the right amount of bite.
While they’re delicious straight from the fruit bowl, plums come into their own in the kitchen. Roast them, stew them, bake them into cakes, tuck them under pastry or pair them with bold spices – their tangy richness stands up to all sorts of treatments, both sweet and savoury.
In this collection, you’ll find recipes that take the plum well beyond the usual crumble. Think sticky Sichuan venison, roasted plum and thyme Eton mess, and a late-summer upside-down cake served warm with crème Anglaise. There’s also a freezer-friendly marzipan galette for the planners among us, and an easy, elegant pudding of hibiscus-roasted plums with cheesecake cream.
These are dishes that nod to the change in seasons – the subtle shift from high summer into golden autumn – and show just how versatile the humble plum can be. Whether you’re picking them from your garden, picking them up at the greengrocer or nabbing a punnet online, now’s the time to stock up and get cooking.
Venison with sticky Sichuan plums
Created by chef and food stylist Esther Clark, this fantastic dish is perfect for the shift from summer to autumn. The sweet yet sharp plums and fragrant ginger and Sichuan pepper pair wonderfully with the full-flavoured venison, but you could use diced beef or pork instead, if you prefer. Serve with steamed short-grain rice and black or white sesame seeds scattered over the dish.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tbsp sesame oil
500g organic diced venison
2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
5cm piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 tsp Sichuan pepper, crushed
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 star anise
1 tbsp plain flour
1 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
400ml beef stock
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp mirin
5 plums, halved and destoned
300g tenderstem broccoli
2 tsp black or white sesame seeds
400g short-grain rice, steamed, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a high heat, add the venison and fry for 5 minutes, turning once, until browned.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, Sichuan pepper, chilli flakes and star anise; fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute more, then add the salad onions (reserving a small handful to garnish), stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and mirin. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven for 1 hour.
3. Remove the pan from the oven, add the plums, then cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Season to taste.
4. Steam the broccoli until tender, then serve alongside the venison and plums, with rice, a scattering of sesame seeds and the reserved salad onions.
Roasted plum, thyme and honey eton mess
“Adding honey to meringues gives them a stickier, richer edge with a butterscotch hue in this roasted plum, thyme and honey éton mess,” says cook and author of Tucking In, Sophie Wyburd. “Layer them up with thyme-infused plums and tangy whipped cream for this decadent but budget-friendly spin on a classic pud.”
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
100g caster sugar
100g runny honey
400g plums, cut into chunks
4 thyme sprigs
250ml double cream
250ml Greek yoghurt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric whisk to stiff peaks. Add the sugar, one-quarter at a time, and beat again to stiff peaks. Repeat until all the sugar is used up, beating well after each addition. Add the honey and beat again to stiff peaks.
2. Dollop the mixture evenly over the prepared tray to form 12 small evenly-spaced mounds. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn the oven off, leaving the meringues inside, until completely cooled and dry. Once cool, remove – they can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.
3. For the plums, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Arrange the plum chunks in a roasting tin and scatter over the thyme sprigs; bake for 15-20 minutes, until soft and jammy. Remove from the oven; leave to cool in the tin.
4. Whip the cream in a bowl until thick and pillowy; fold in the yoghurt.
5. Smash the meringues into pieces. Assemble between 6 glasses, alternating layers of meringue, cream and roasted plum; serve.
Plum and marzipan galette
Food stylist, recipe writer and author Emily Jonzen’s plum and marzipan galette is so easy to make yet beautiful enough to grace a celebration table. Whip it up in advance and freeze until needed, then simply cook from frozen and serve, adding a scoop of ice cream on the side if you like. For an even speedier version, use frozen pitted cherries instead of fresh plums.
Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
500g plums, stoned and cut into 1cm-thick wedges
1 tbsp cornflour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
50g golden caster sugar
1 clementine, zested
1 dusting icing sugar
100g golden marzipan
1 shortcrust pastry sheet, defrosted in the fridge if frozen
1 tbsp ground almonds
1 medium egg yolk, beaten
2 tbsp flaked almonds
1 scoop vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
Method:
1. Put the plums in a large mixing bowl with the cornflour, cinnamon, sugar and clementine zest; toss gently until the plums are evenly coated. Set aside.
2. Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar and use a rolling pin to roll 75g marzipan into a 22cm circle, turning as you go.
3. Chop the remaining marzipan into 1cm cubes. On a sheet of baking paper, roll out the pastry sheet to a 25cm circle. Put the marzipan circle in the centre; sprinkle with the ground almonds. Arrange the plums on top, leaving a 3cm border of pastry. Scatter over the chopped marzipan.
4. Fold the pastry border so it overlaps the plums, pinching to seal any cracks as you go. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and scatter over the flaked almonds. Slide the galette onto a baking tray, cover, label and freeze for up to 4 weeks.
5. When ready to use, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, placing a large baking tray in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes to heat up. Slide the frozen galette onto the hot tray (still on its baking paper) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
6. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Hibiscus sugar plums with honey cheesecake cream
Alexina Anatole’s hibiscus sugar plums with honey cheesecake cream hit the sweet spot for a deliciously easy, fruity pud. “Roasting stone fruit amplifies its sweetness. Here, plums are infused with the citrus-berry flavours of hibiscus and topped with a biscuit crumb,” says the chef, TV presenter and author of Sweet.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 hibiscus tea bag
4 plums, quartered, stones removed
1 star anise
280g cream cheese
2 tbsp crème fraîche
5 ginger biscuits, crushed
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, grind the caster sugar with the contents of the hibiscus tea bag to make a pink sugar.
2. Sit the plums snugly in a roasting tin. Scatter over the hibiscus sugar, then arrange them skin-side down. Add 75ml water to the tin with the star anise and roast for 30 minutes or until the plums are tender. Leave them to cool in the tin.
3. For the cheesecake cream, whisk the cream cheese, crème fraîche and honey until smooth. Chill until needed.
4. To serve, arrange a few plum pieces in a bowl (remove the star anise) with a dollop of cheesecake cream and a sprinkling of crushed biscuits. Spoon over some of the roasting juices. Leftover plums will keep chilled in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Late-summer plum cake with crème Anglaise
Eat this upside-down cake warm to enjoy it at its sticky-sweet best. Looking for more cake recipes? Look no further.
Serves: 8
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
50g soft brown sugar, for the plum topping
150g unsalted butter, softened
4 ripe plums, cut in half, stones removed
100g golden caster sugar, for the cake batter
2 large eggs, for the cake batter, plus 3 egg yolks for the crème anglaise
1 tsp vanilla extract, for the cake batter
110g self-raising flour, for the cake batter
1 tsp baking powder, for the cake batter
60 caster sugar, for the crème anglaise
250ml of double cream, for the crème anglaise
1 vanilla pod, halved, for the crème anglaise
Method:
1. Line the base of a deep 18cm loose-bottomed cake tin with non-stick baking paper and preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put 50g soft brown sugar and 50g butter into a bowl and use an electric whisk to beat until soft and creamy. Spread over the base of the tin, then add the plums, cut-side down.
2. In the mixing bowl, beat 100g butter and 100g golden caster sugar for the cake batter for 4-5 minutes with an electric whisk, until light and creamy. Add the whole eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, flour and baking powder. Whisk until just combined; spoon over the plums.
3. Level the cake mix, put the tin onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, or until there’s no wobble left in the middle of the cake and a skewer comes out clean.
4. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then pop a plate on top and carefully flip the cake. Gently peel off the paper and discard.
5. For the crème anglaise, use a balloon whisk to combine the egg yolks and 60g caster sugar in a heatproof bowl. In a pan, heat the cream with the vanilla pod, until it starts to steam. Remove the pod, then slowly pour the cream into the egg mix, whisking as you go. Rinse the pan, pour in the cream mixture and whisk over a low heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Sieve into a jug to serve.
Recipes originally appeared in OcadoLife
