Try these plums on their own alongside grilled meat or vegetables, or with yogurt or cream, honey and nuts for dessert. Be sure to use plums that barely give when you press them -- too ripe and they'll fall apart on the grill.
Fall is the season of the small, dusky purple Italian prune plum, or sljiva. Dumplings made from pitted plums can be served with Turkish coffee -- or with plum brandy, otherwise known as sljivovica, or slivovitz.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
Fresh plums are notoriously tough to gauge for ripeness. Because plums come in all shades, color won't help you much. Avoid shriveled plums, but don't shy away from rings around the stem end, as this can be a sign of high sugar in a plum.
Unless you really trust the produce department, don't buy soft plums from the store. Look for firm -- but not hard -- plums with just a little give. Bring them home and put them in a paper bag on the counter for a day or two to ripen. Then, store them in the icebox.
That chalky white powder on plums is completely natural. It's called the bloom, and its presence is a good sign that a plum hasn't been handled too much from orchard to store.
Some might find the combination of spicy red pepper flakes and plums a bit unusual. Each bite is sweet and warm initially, with a sharp bite of heat as you swallow. If you aren’t a fan, this dessert is still delicious without the pepper flakes.
Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.
Pizza With Plums, Onions, Gorgonzola And Pine Nuts
Pizza With Plums, Onions, Gorgonzola And Pine Nuts
You've had plum desserts and plum salads. Now give this unique plum pizza a try.
This recipe comes from Mango & Tomato and was the winner of Root Source Challenge: Plum.
The bars themselves are really simple -- just a quick shortbread that gets cooked off before the jam goes on, and then cooked again with a grated shortbread topping. The resulting cookies are rich like shortbread, but lighter and more moist.
Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.
You can baste just about any grilling, broiling or roasting meat with this plum barbecue sauce as it cooks -- it'll lend a beautiful sweetness and depth of flavor. You'll need to stir the sauce more often toward the end of cooking to be sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan as it simmers.
The maple syrup and sugar give this plum crumble a warm, complex flavor. Grade B syrup is a darker, richer (and usually cheaper) syrup, but if you have grade A around, that'll work as well.
Spicy Red Plum And Tomato Chutney
Spicy Red Plum And Tomato Chutney
This zesty chutney is a fine garnish for grilled or roasted poultry or beef. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the dried spices; otherwise, put them in a small, sturdy plastic bag and, using a rolling pin, crush them until very fine.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
I recommend using an extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil with a fairly clean taste. Otherwise it might clash and overwhelm the plum's tartness.
Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.
Grilled Pork Chops With Plum Salsa
Grilled Pork Chops With Plum Salsa
The salsa has just enough pungent sage and jalapeño chili pepper to keep it honest. If preparing the salsa more than an hour in advance, hold off adding the lemon juice, because it will break down the fruit. Serve with whipped sweet potatoes and collard greens.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
This easy-to-make but impressively rustic dessert can also be made with apricots or nectarines and served with crème fraîche instead of whipped cream.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
