Dimply Plum Cake

Just when you thought we couldn't possibly have more plums-- we did. The plum ginger crumble didn't quite use up all my mom's plums, so we turned to this recipe to finish them out. (There is another plum cake recipe on this site worth trying out also, the crunchy topped whole wheat plum cake.) Weirdly enough, when I took my first bite I was ho-hum and then the Robber-- that same Robber who is always trying to convince me to make old things he likes not new things-- took his first bite and LOVED it. And then proceeded to eat most of it quickly and to say again and again how much he liked it. So ok. I guess we'll be making this again. The flavor of the cake is quite pleasing, but I found it a bit dry so how to work around that? Also, the plums need to be quite small (I put in some larger store plums too and they didn't work as well as my mother's small plums). I made mine in a 9" cake pan which worked quite well. Smitten Kitchen says you can use apricots or other stone fruits also and mix up the zest and the spices and whatever so maybe I will try making a pear or a cherry cake some time just for kicks. Also the Robber wants me to make it without any fruit at all. Hrrrmmm. We'll see.

Originally from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, by way of Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/dimply-plum-cake/

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (the original calls for 1/4 tsp.)

5 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 C. (packed) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

Grated zest of 1 orange (I used 1 tsp. dried valencia orange peel)

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 purple or red plums (or even Italian prune plums, when they are in season), halved and pitted

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.

3. Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in. Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla; the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny.

4. Removing the mixer, add the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing in by hand until they are incorporated.

5. Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter–Dorie says she usually makes four rows of four plum halves each–jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

6. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes during which time the plums juices will seep back into the cake then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

7. Optional: Dust the top with powdered sugar. (It soaks into the plums, but keeps the cake a speckly white.)

Note: You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.

Spiced Plum Pie

Voila the spiced plum pie! I had wanted to make this pie for a long time, but the Robber likes so many other pies it is hard to get around to new ones sometimes. He left town and I wanted to make him a peach pie for his return out of my great love for him, but the peaches at the store were nowhere near ripe so shoot, shoot I just had to buy plums. And then I had to make plum pie. And my, oh my, was it so delicious! This is one of those pies that is going to be a strong favorite of mine forever, whether the Robber ever overcomes his preference for pecans or not.

A must. From Epicurious (with a few adjustments):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Plum-Pie-232397

Ingredients:

Unbaked pie crust of choice (used Tender Pie Crust)

3 T. plus 1 C. granulated sugar

1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided

4 T. cornstarch

2 tsp. (packed) finely grated orange peel

3/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt (I used a dash)

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. plums, haved, pitted, each half cut into 6-8 wedges.

2 T. whipping cream (or egg white, or egg yolk) for brushing crust

Directions:

1. Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

2. Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch any spills. 

3. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl; set aside. 

4. Whisk 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and next 6 ingredients in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Add plums and toss to coat. (This is where I recommend macerating for at least two hours then draining off the excess liquid before pouring into the crust. That way your pie will be way way less goopy and it has worked consistently for me to do it like this, even though you end up wasting spices that way. You could always just macerate in sugar and then add less spices to the macerated fruit. Whatevs. But if you don't macerate, expect a goopy pie no matter how much cornstarch.) Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center.

5. Roll out second pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Drape crust over filling; trim overhang to 1 inch. Press top and bottom crust edges together. Fold edges under; crimp. Using sharp knife, cut four 2-inch-long slits in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust (but not edges) with cream. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar over crust. (I actually used turbinado sugar, not the cinnamon sugar, on my pie crust and it was excellent.)

6. Bake pie 30-45 minutes. Tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles thickly through slits, about 1 hour longer. Cool completely on rack.

Tender Pie Crust

Usually I don't veer off the beaten path when it comes to pie crust, but something tempted me to try out this one-- I think it was its unanimous approval by the Epicurious lot. Lo and behold it was so very tasty and the dough was easy to roll out and so delicious and flaky when baked that I am tempted to make it again, even if it is more preparation and work than my usual crust. Only I think I will leave out the sugar, because I'm not used to having my pie crust sweet.

From Epicurious: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tender-Pie-Crust-232398

Ingredients:

3 C. all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar (I will likely omit)

1 3/4 tsp. salt (I used 1 tsp. happily)

1 C. plus 2 T. (2 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

8 T. (or more) ice water

1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (oops, I maybe used T.)

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Add cubed butter; cut in until coarse meal forms. 

2. Add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. 

3. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto work surface; divide dough in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

Notes: Can be made ahead. Keep dough refrigerated up to 2 days, or enclose in resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month, then thaw in refrigerator overnight. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out. Makes two discs, enough for one complete pie (and lots of scraps for pie cookies!)

Plum and Ginger Crumble

My mother sent the Robber home from his trip to Utah with some plums from their backyard tree and, having just made him plum pie, had to go adventuring to find what to make next with the plums. I remembered this delicious crumble which my sister R had made in the Rochacha long ago. It is simpler to make than a pie-- quite simple, actually-- but still can be made in a pie plate and it ultimately very satisfactory. I am loving loving plums this year, something about the bright color and tartness of the flavor are making me very happy indeed.

This recipe is actually an adaptation of one of the NYtimes most famous recipes of all time, the plum torte recipe which I recorded on this blog earlier (search under plums) but have never actually made because really, given the choice, wouldn't you rather have a crumble? 

An old link, but a good link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/213frex.html

Ingredients:

12 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted

2 T. brown sugar 

1 1/2 T. plus 1 C. all-purpose flour

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 heaping tsp. ground ginger

2 heaping T. finely chopped candied ginger (I used crystallized)

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 large egg, well-beaten

1 stick butter (1/2 C.), melted

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place plums in bowl. Mix brown sugar, 1 1/2 T flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground ginger, and candied ginger together and mix with plums. Arrange plums, skin side up, in ungreased 9 inch pie plate.

3. Combine white sugar, baking powder, remaining flour, and remaining cinnamon and salt and mix well. Stir in egg. Rub together with fingertips to combine ingredients and make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle over plums. Drizzle butter evenly over top.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, plain or with vanilla ice cream. 

Pulled Pork Ala The Robber

For the Fourth of July the Robber cooked up a little pulled pork in the crockpot (his first!) because he wanted to work that day and I, being post-call, was sleeping. Errrr, trying to sleep. So anyway, he got crockpot duty. After it was done cooking we took it over to our friends the C's and ate it out on their patio, a perfectly lazy way to celebrate the Fourth. Here is what the Robber has sent me to memorialize his pulled pork process. I don't know where he found his inspiration, but maybe this will inspire him again in the future.

Ala the Robber, and in his own words.

Ingredients:

5 lb Pork Shoulder, bone in or bone out (5lb was how much I used and you saw how much it made)

A couple bottles/cans of root beer

1-2 bottles of bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's because why would you use anything else?)

Optional Spices (Thyme, Sage, Pepper)--I added a dash of these, but I'm not sure it really makes a difference

1 chopped onion

Some minced garlic (about a tablespoon?)

Directions:

1) Trim fat off of pork shoulder.  I didn't do this beforehand b/c I thought it would taste better, but I think it made it much more greasy.

2) Place pork shoulder in slow cooker.  Top with onion, garlic, spices (if desired), and a good squirt or two of bbq sauce.  Pour root beer on until it covers the pork.

3) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or so.  Can also try high and go for less time if you're in a rush.  I think I did high for the first 2 hours and then low for another 4 or 5.

4) Remove pork to separate bowl (should be falling apart by this point).  Discard root beer (you can save the onions and put them back in with the pork after shredding or you can chop up a fresh onion and put it in with the pork).  

5) Shred pork with forks.  Mix in the bbq sauce to taste (I used 1 and 1/2 bottles maybe).

6) Place pork back in slow cooker and heat until it starts bubbling.  Be careful cause the bottom can burn, so maybe stir it occasionally?

7) Serve!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I still have some old recipes written out on index cards that I look up the old-fashioned way-- in a recipe box. These peanut butter cookies are one of them, and I guess I haven't made them or blogged them since this Vegetable Tuesdays blog began. In my nights-to-days-to-nights haze I got a huge craving for peanut butter (I have been craving protein like crazy lately) and thought that I must have these cookies or else I would perish. So I made some and took them to my call day last night and thank goodness, what a little bit of happiness they provided.

Note: This time when I made them I made a half batch and I used 1/4 C. white sugar, 1/4 C. brown sugar, and 1/2 C. raw turbinado sugar and I really liked what it did for the texture and flavor.

From Somewhere. It's the recipe my mom has used as long as I can remember.

Ingredients:

1 C. yellow shortening

1 C. peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)

1 C. white granulated sugar

1 C. brown sugar 

2 eggs

2 1/2 C. flour (sift before measuring)

1 tsp. baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. 

2. In a large together, cream together the shortening, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. 

3. Remove the mixer. Add the flour mixture into the egg/sugar mixture 1/3rd at a time, beating in the flour mixture by hand (using the mixer will make for tougher cookies.) 

4. Form cookies into approximately 1" diameter mounds. Using a fork, gently press down twice, with the second press perpendicular to the first, making a cross-hatch pattern, so that the cookie dough is approximately flattened 1/2 way down from its initial height. 

5. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven before the cookie is completely done, while the middles are still soft (they will finish setting up outside the oven.) Allow to cool one minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack for the rest of the cooling process-- although you should feel very welcome to eat these warm.

6. Store in an airtight container. Cookies will stale if uneaten after 48 hours.

Raspberry Custard Pie

I tagged this recipe maybe last year, maybe the year before and because it was sitting there-- albeit among better pie recipes-- I felt obligated to make it. I have a problem these days with feeling pressure from my self-created recipe file. Ah, well. I made this on the pretense of feeding it to KK, our friend who is coming over for dinner tomorrow. But then the Robber and I couldn't wait and got tempted to eat a piece of it tonight... and well... maybe I will have to make another pie for tomorrow. As for this pie, it's good. It's good. It tastes good. It's simple. It's so easy to make. The raspberry is paired well with the custard. It's a good summer pie. But there are better. Ah, but my standards are too high these days. Le sigh.

From Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/343295/raspberry-custard-pie?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/raspberry-recipes#slide_7

Ingredients:

One half pie crust of your choice, baked blind in shallow pie plate

2 T. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out crust

3/4 C. sugar, divided

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 C. heavy cream, at room temperature

1 lbs. (3 1/2 C.) fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Whisk flour and 1/2 C. sugar in a medium bowl. Add egg and cream, and whisk to combine.

2. In separate bowl, toss raspberries with remaining 1/4 C. sugar and the salt. Allow to stand at least 15 minutes, then drain in colander to remove excess fluid.

3. Spoon berries into pre-baked crust, then pour in cream mixture, filling to just below rim.

4. Bake at 350F until custard is set, but still a bit wobbly in the center (45-60 minutes.) Let cool in a dish on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Serve cold with fresh raspberries. 

Truly Short Shortcake

The redeeming thing about these (and the plum gratin before it) was that I was able to eat these in one of my favorite summer ways: the biscuit split open, with a layer of plain Greek yogurt on each half, and fruit (or fruit puree) scooped over the top. Like a strawberry shortcake with yogurt instead of cream, and more mash to the fruit. Otherwise, this biscuit was a little disappointing. The texture was nice and biscuity, but I like my other biscuit recipe better, and this lacked flavor even with me using buttermilk. The problem is I just keep trucking along, hoping to find alternates when I have things I am already perfectly happy with. So the chances of making this again are slim, but this is not a blog about perfection, just about archiving. Trying. Experimenting. Being. 

Note: I only made the cake part, not the berries. Also, the recipe says this makes 12, but what a mighty small 12 those would be. I made six more substantial sized scones by cutting a round of the dough into six triangles.

From Mark Bittman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/29/dining/the-minimalist-truly-short-shortcake.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. sugar

2 C. cake flour or all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

4 tsp. baking powder

4 T. cold butter

7/8 C. milk (low fat is ok)

6 C. cleaned and sliced strawberries

Sweetened whipped cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the strawberries with 1 cup sugar. 

2. Mix remaining sugar with flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl or food processor. Cut the butter into bits, and either pulse it a few times quickly in the processor with the dry ingredients or take a little of the dry ingredients, rub a bit of butter into them with your fingers and drop back in the bowl. All the butter should be thoroughly blended.

3. Slowly add the milk to the bowl, stirring it in with a large spoon until the mixture forms a ball. The mixture should be sticky; use a little more or less milk if necessary. 

4. Drop mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet, one heaping tablespoon per cake. 

5. Bake about 10 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. (Keep an eye on them; once browning starts, it goes quickly.) Let cool a bit; top with strawberries and their juices and the whipped cream.

Honeyed Plum Gratin

Because it sounded like a good idea, yes? But instead it was tart, I'm not sure the broiler worked, and left the fruit in this odd curdl-ey sour soup. Maybe I used the wrong pan for the half-recipe I made? I think I will stick to sauteeing next time. At least plums are a good idea, and I tried these new red apricot-y plums that were so delicious. So delicious. Goodness, how I love fruit right now.

From Mark Bittman (sometimes I'm learning he and I don't see eye to eye):

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/11/magazine/mag-11eatpie.html?ref=magazine#Honeyed_Plum_Gratin

Ingredients:

6 C. sliced plums (about 3 lbs.)

2 tsp. sugar

1 2/3 T. cornstarch

1 T. butter

1 C. sour cream

1/4 C. honey

1/4 C. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Toss sliced plums with 2 teaspoons each of sugar and cornstarch.

2. Sauté in butter until tender and beginning to thicken, about 5 minutes.

3. Spread in a 9-by-13-inch pan.

4. Whisk together sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, honey and remaining cornstarch.

5. Drizzle over the plums and broil 4 to 6 inches from the flame until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Green Mango Pie

This is an old recipe that I made two years ago (on our honeymoon, in fact!) and never blogged, so it is sitting in my recipe stash awaiting formal entry so I can move on and delete it from the list. Personally, I liked this pie. It's spiced very much like an apple pie, but it's different-- you know. It's mango. The Robber of course would rather have an apple pie, but in the two years since he has since learned just to go with the flow of things around here. 

From Pie Love You:

http://www.pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/03/green-mango-pie-16.html

Ingredients:

For the filling:

3-4 unripe, mostly green medium mangoes (about 5 C.), peeled and sliced

3/4 C. sugar, adjusted for sweetness of the mangoes

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Zest of 1 lime

1 T. of lime juice

For the double crust:

2 1/2 C. unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 T. sugar

2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

4-5 T. of ice water

Directions:

1. For the crust: Cube the butter and chill it along with the water until needed. Mix together all the dry ingredients and then add the chilled butter, cutting into the flour until pea-sized pieces are produced. Add the chilled water 1 T. at a time and mix with a fork until the dough is the right consistency. Gather the dough together and divide into two separate disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. For the filling: In a smaller bowl, combine the dry filling ingredients. Slice mangoes and add to zest and lime juice in large bowl. Pour dry ingredients over mangoes and mix.

3. Put it together: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out single dough to about 1/8″ thick and place in pie pan leaving the edges long. Scoop the filling in center of pie but do not pour in all the liquid. Roll out the second dough and place on top of the pie. Trim edges and crimp to design. Using a sharp knife, cut tiny vents in the top of the pie. Brush with egg whites and sprinkle sugar on top.

4. Bake it: Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, rotating once at the halfway point. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue to bake 30 minutes more till golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.