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Jon Ogryzlo
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Plum Clafouti is an easy, delicious summer dessert....

A plum for every taste There are thousands of varieties of the succulent fruit in season in Niagara
By Lynn Ogryzlo, Just a Taste
Columns
Aug 15, 2008
There's nothing better than the sight of a basket of oval-shaped, smooth-skinned, bluish black plums with a beautiful bloom. These European beauties have a thick, sweet, yellow-greenish flesh that slips easily away from the pit. They're specifically bred so that they can be dried (prunes) and still retain their sweetness.

In case you haven't noticed, it's plum season in Niagara. There are more than 2,000 different kinds of plums all of different shapes, colours, textures and tastes. It's sheer madness not to taste them all.

The more common varieties can be classified into large and small round plums that are great for eating fresh and the smaller, more oblong ones which also can be eaten fresh but are suitable for cooking as well.

The most famous plum, the Damson plum, is a blue skinned, very tart flavoured variety mostly used for making preserves and jellies. Not as many Niagara farmers grow Damsons any more but if you're wanting to do some baking, you'll find some at Palantine Fruit & Roses on Creek Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Eva Scmitz of Palatine recommends blue plums for baking, particularly the Ozark or Santa Maria variety because they have more tartness to balance the sweetness. "They're just better for baking," says Scmitz. Blue plums are harvested in mid-August and last until mid-September.

You can eat any plum variety fresh, made into a chutney or added to a fruit salad. For these dishes, work with plums at room temperature when they're juiciest. Plums can usually be used with their skin still on, but if your recipe calls for peeling, blanch plums first in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then rinse immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. Be careful not to overcook plums as they tend to get mushy quick.

Plums can be stewed or made into jams and jellies. They are often used in sweet and sour sauce which is a good with pork, game and poultry.

Plums can be used instead of cherries in most recipes. Try them in tarts, cakes, puddings, muffins and ice cream for a new flavour twist. Poached plums look stunning in a compote and plums with rose-pink flesh and wine-red skins, make the loveliest of all fruit tarts.

Hard plums will soften a little in a brown paper bag at room temperature within a few days but they won't sweeten very much after they've been picked. Plums should be plump and well coloured for their variety. Hold one in the palm of your hand and it should yield to gentle pressure. If the plum is too soft, it's probably overripe.

At the farmers' market you'll find baskets of different plums temp you -- try them all and enjoy.

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ON THE MENU

Plum Clafouti

An easy delicious summer dessert.

  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar

  • 14 plums, halved and pitted

  • 1 egg 1 egg white

  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk

  • 1/3 cup (90 mL) all-purpose flour

  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar

  • 1 tbsp (5 mL) vanilla

  • pinch of salt

  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon

    Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Butter a 10-inch pie plate, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the bottom. Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle the other tablespoon of sugar over the top of the plums.

    In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fruit.

    Bake for 35 minutes or lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

    Spiced plum shortcakes

    Quick and easy enough to make for an after-work treat.

  • 6 scones

  • 4 tbsp (60 mL) butter

  • 8 plums, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2" slices

  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar

  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground ginger

  • 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream

  • 2 tsp (10 mL) sugar

  • Icing sugar

    Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add plums and sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves and becomes syrupy, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and ground ginger. Let cool to room temperature.

    Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat to firm peaks. Cut scones in half; place bottom halves on 6 dessert plates. Top with warm plums, then cream. Cover with biscuit tops and sift powdered sugar over.

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    Lynn Ogryzlo is food and wine writer for Niagara this Week and Niagara Life Magazine and author of Niagara Cooks, a farm to table cookbook. Her television segment, "Taste of Niagara" can be seen Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on CHCH News' Niagara Express.

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