Mr E Man left town on Friday for a three day music festival on Vancouver Island. His friend had a spare ticket, and Mr E Man - unlike me - has the flexibility to take a couple of days off at very short notice. He should get home around the same time as I do tonight, and I'm rather pathetically excited.
So, what does a modern feminist do with herself when her husband is away all weekend and, thanks to the efforts of feminists from previous generations, she has all the options of a sunny Vancouver day open to her?
She bakes cakes and makes jam.
I didn't know I had it in me until we bought our house, but a huge plum tree bearing more fruit than we can eat - that all ripen at the same time - is a good motivator for these kinds of domestic activities. We've already given away all the fruit that our friends, neighbours and co-workers will accept; at this point we're practically begging people to take them off our hands!
The German-style plum and almond cake turned out great. My friend Dr Pants came over yesterday afternoon to help me eat it. Worried that our excitement about having tea and cake in the garden was a sign that we are now officially old, she also brought beer. Good times.
I still have a couple of big bags full of sweet yellow plums, so I'm going to make another cake and another batch of jam tonight. I'm not quite ready to start making beer or wine just yet, but give me a couple of years and I might give it a shot.
Does anyone have any other good plum recipes?
Monday, August 18, 2008
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The cakes and jam sound great!
ReplyDeleteIf you have an ice cream maker, how about plum sorbet! Epicurious.com has a few great recipies...
I was an idiot - completely forgot to phone! unfortunately no room for plums (sorry!)...
ReplyDeletebut I vote for plum cobbler! easy to make - take any cobbler recipe (really, butter, sugar, flour and oats) and substitute the fruit with plums. mmmmmm.....
Albotross, I don't have one, but maybe next year I can ask around my friends and see if I can borrow one. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteIS, they are pretty much done now - sorry! I can maybe get you a couple of figs but they are hard to transport...
How's Obama?
I made the plum cake last night, and it was awesome. Thanks for the plums and the recipes. Similar to IS's suggestion, I like plum crisp - with a yummy topping of oatmeal and brown sugar.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmm. Off to the house to get a treat :).
It looks like my second batch of jam from last night is not setting properly - no idea why. If it is still slopping around when I get home tonight I might just throw it in the freezer and use it as a cobbler or crumble filling at some later date, although it will be really really sugary!
ReplyDeleteSounds like perfect ice cream sundae topping :). Or pancake/waffle syrup. If you wanted to use it as pie filling, you could always mix in some other fruit to cut the sweetness a bit. I am sure peaches or nectarines would be great, or even apples (if you wanted something a bit more tart).
ReplyDeleteOK, now I'm hungry.
ReplyDeleteplums, sugar, water - mix and put on the stove.... (no skins on the plums) and let simmer for an hour. Don't cut the plums too small, chunks are your friend.
ReplyDeleteBest on scones or toast.
my gosh, I am really longing for plum marmalade.... and not with "sweetner" or "artificial flavour" as I tend to find them here in the states.
sounds like a lovely weekend though!! homemade stuff is the best!
Plum vodka or gin, there must be a recipe out there, somewhere.
ReplyDeleteChall, what kind of proportions do you use? Sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteA co-worker who took some of the plums just told me that his son, who is training to be a chef, sauteed the plums in brandy and then served them with brown sugar and cinnamon over gelato. Mmmmmm. And I thought I was hungry before...
UHDH, now you're talking! I've had damson gin before and it was yummy. These are a very different kind of plum, but it might still be worth a try! Easier than beer or wine I bet.
REgarding the flavoured Vodka (being swedish does have some advantages in the flavour section). I would guess it's enoughht to cut plums in smaller parts, put them in a bottle and pour vodka on top. Let sit for, say three weeks?, and sift through it so all the small fruit parts are gone. It should work.
ReplyDeleteThe maramalde, schucks I am sooo bad with proportions. some how I think 1,5 kg of plums, 0.7 liter of water and about 1 kg of sugar? (ratio 2:1:1.5) it depends on how sweeet the plums are. Let boil for 30 mins, not boilboil but simmer... the kernels should float to the surface if you don't take them out before... You can adjust the sugar and/or throw in a few apples (for less sugeery taste). Some people like cinnamon (a pinch) and vanilla as flavours. i just do it "a nauturelle" ;)
OK, previous comments made me hungry, but this one made me want a drink. And it is only 3 pm. Not good.
ReplyDeleteYou must try the plum vodka, and please report back!
ReplyDeleteYesh. *hic*.
ReplyDelete