I'm really a scientist. I follow recipes exactly - until I decide not to. And then I'll follow something else exactly. I may decide I could turn this peach tart into a plum tart, but if I'm following a recipe, I follow it exactly.
Italian Plums are Fall’s Little Darlings
As summer gives way to fall, Italian plums are ripe for the picking.
Italian plums, also called Italian prune plums, are a type of fruit that originates from Italy and is also known as the ‘prunus domestica’. They are about the size of a large strawberry, have an elongated shape, have very dark purple skin with a dusty film and are rare finds in grocery stores. If you want to enjoy this wonderful fruit, you will either need to have a tree of your own or, as in my case, have a generous neighbor who has a tree and shares the fruit with us.
Italian Prune Plums Are Special
I love Italian prune plums because they are an extremely special and distinctive type of plum. When compared to the more common red and black plum varieties that can be found at grocery stores, Italian prune plums boast an oval shape that sets them apart. Their deep blue or purple skin and beautiful golden yellow flesh make them both aesthetically pleasing and delicious. Unlike other plums, they have a firmer and denser texture, with a hint of tartness that makes them perfect for cooking and baking a wide range of dishes. As an added bonus, Italian prune plums are a fantastic source of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants that can provide a healthy boost to any diet. It’s safe to say that Italian prune plums are a must-have fruit for anyone looking to add a unique, delicious, and healthy touch to their culinary creations.
Italian Plum Torte Perfection
This recipe is wonderful when made with the traditional red or black plums that you find at the market, but if you are fortunate enough to have access to Italian plums, you will swoon when you taste this spectacular fall treat.
Servings 8
Equipment
- 1 9" or 10" springform pan Not absolutely required, but it really makes it easier when transfering the torte to the serving plate
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tbsp
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 12 Italian plums, halved and pitted fewer if using traditional red or black plums
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup sliced and toasted almonds
- 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice depending on the sweetness of the fruit
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉Prepare your springform pan by buttering the inside of the pan, trace the bottom of the pan onto a sheet of parchment, cut the parchment circle, place into the butter pan and then lightly butter the parchment.
- Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract and eggs and beat well. (I use my KitchenAid for this).Place plum halves into a bowl and toss with the cinnamon, sliced almonds, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Place the plum halves skin side down on top of the batter and sprinkle the remaining almond/sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake for 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream sweetened with pure maple syrup or vanilla ice cream.
Sweet Plum Focaccia
With a delicate and airy crumb, this focaccia is the perfect showcase for ripe plums, which caramelize in the oven. The delicate sweetness from the fruit is contrasted by fragrant rosemary and a sweet-salty turbinado sugar and flaky sea salt. I made this with Italian plums and since they are about half the size of a traditional plum, I used 8 large ones.
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1¼ cups water at room temperature
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 medium red plums, unpeeled, pitted and cut into ½" wedges about 2 cups, (I used Italian plums)
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Stir together flour and yeast in a large bowl until combined. Add 1¼ cups water and 1 tbsp oil to flour mixture; gently stir with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, and let rest at room temperature 20 minutes to allow flour to hydrate.Transfer dough to a lightly floured work survace Sprinkle dough with kosher salt, and gently rub salt into dough. Knead dough by pressing the heel of your hand into the dough and dragging it back, repeating this motion until the dough feels smooth to the touch, about 5 minutes.Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Brush a 13-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut dough in half; tuck cut edges under, and pat each dough half into a 9-7-inch oval. Transfer dough ovals to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 1 inch apart. Cover dough with a towel; let rest in a warm (about 80℉) area for 30 minutes. (The top of the dough may get a little dry, but that's okay).
- Uncover dough. Using your fingers, press down deeply into dough to form dimples spaced about ½-inch apart. Cover dough with a towel, and let rise in a warm area for 30 minutes. Place a pizza stone on middle oven rack, and preheat oven to 450℉.
- Uncover dough, and lightly press plum slices evenly into dough ovals. Brush dough ovals evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle evenly with rosemary, sugar, and flaky salt.
- Place baking sheet on hot pizza stone in preheated oven, and bake until plum juices have started to caramelize and edges of focaccia are golden brown, 25-30 minutes.Remove baking sheet from oven. Let focaccia cool on baking sheet about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Italian Plum Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a classic French dessert that features fruits baked in a custard-like batter. It is most commonly made with cherries, but I am using Italian plums for this recipe. Feel free to modify with whatever fruit or berries you have on hand.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar divided
- 14 Italian plums halved and pitted
- 3 large eggs
- 1⅓ cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Butter a 10-inch pie plate and sprinkle 1 tbsp granulated sugar over the bottom.
- Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of sugar over the top of the plums.
- In a blender, combine the remaining 3 tbsp of sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the custard over the fruit.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.
Spicy Italian Plum Chutney
This chutney goes really well with pork, beef and chicken. I also love to add it to my turkey/fontina panini sandwiches. If you would prefer to tame down the spice, use less (or no) red pepper flakes and back off a little on the ginger and cumin. I served this to friends who don't have much tolerance for spicy food and they enjoyed it just as written.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- 1" piece fresh ginger peeled and finely minced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion peeled and cut into a medium dice
- 2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 20 fresh Italin plums pitted and quartered
Instructions
- Place sugars and vinegar into a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add raisins, ginger, garlic, onion and spices to the sugar mixture. Stir in the Italian plums. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to cook at a gentle simmer for about an hour, stirring often.
- Allow the chutney to cool, transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
NOTE: THIS WILL KEEP IN THE FRIDGE FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH OR IT CAN BE STORED IN THE FREEZER FOR UP TO A YEAR.
Have An Entertaining Day!
