Plumplumplumplumplum

August 16, 2012 10:15 AM

Once again, we have an overabundance of plums. Hit me with your best plum recipes-sweet, savory, canning, whatever. We have Santa Rosa, Italian prune, and some unknown purple variety that's pretty sweet. I'm a competent canner and also have a dehydrator.

I've made plum jam and Asian plum sauce before-both were OK. Fruit leather is always a hit and is what I'll do if I don't find a recipe I like more. Tried plum membrillo last year and it never really set but I love the idea.

posted by purenitrous to Food & Drink (18 answers total)

Plum and Earl Grey ice cream. I've made it (with damsons in my case). It's awesome.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:20 AM on August 16, 2012

I've been making this plum torte for years and adore it. I squeeze some lemon juice over the top before baking. Freezes really well.
posted by idest at 10:22 AM on August 16, 2012

Holy shit, dumplings.
posted by phunniemee at 10:24 AM on August 16, 2012

Pit and halve them, arrange on trays and freeze hard overnight. Then put in plastic freezer bags, so in winter you can use them for a bazillion recipes, from smoothies to pork dishes.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:28 AM on August 16, 2012

Damson gin is a classic use of plums. I'm looking forward to finding some at the market soon, specifically for this.
posted by aimedwander at 10:44 AM on August 16, 2012

Maybe it's just me, but I find plum jelly to be soooooo much better than any other sort of jelly it's like a whole different food type. So, plum jelly!!!!
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 10:53 AM on August 16, 2012

I recently made a really, really tasty chutney out of plums - could and probably should be canned, but I just ate it right away.

Disclosure: link goes to my own foodblog.
posted by Rallon at 10:54 AM on August 16, 2012

whole plums in honey (self link, sorry). We ate these all winter in all kinds of ways, and I wished I'd put up many, many more jars. They're one of the easiest preserves you can make, too, and easy to do as you have time rather than in one huge batch.
posted by peachfuzz at 10:58 AM on August 16, 2012

We made a batch of plum ketchup one year that was Amazing! Sadly I do all my cooking on a taste and tweak principle so I don't have a specific recipe for you,but I highly recommend plum ketchup.This recipe looks about right. Taste like a cross between barbecue sauce and ketchup.
posted by The Violet Cypher at 11:08 AM on August 16, 2012

Plum brandy recipe that uses four(!) pounds of plums.
posted by *s at 11:38 AM on August 16, 2012

I have really been wanting to try this plum upside down cake.
posted by annsunny at 12:20 PM on August 16, 2012

definitely dry the Italian prunes. so good in oatmeal, yogurt, and by themselves!
posted by vespabelle at 12:24 PM on August 16, 2012

You can skin, pit, and blend, then reduce down with some sugar (and lemon juice, depending on how sweet the plums are) to a paste-like consistency to serve with cheese (think membrillo). Your dehydrator might help here.
posted by novalis_dt at 2:45 PM on August 16, 2012

Make a plum clafoutis!
posted by peacheater at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2012

I made this pie using a small basket of plums that were on clearance. Best time to get them, BTW. The sweetness is near max, and they peel much easier when older. A bit of work peeling the plums but it got rave reviews from fussy kids.

The recipe came from a comment on a board which wasn't directly linkable, so here's the relevant text:

I found a recipe for a plum pie in my LA Times cookbook. WOW. It really should have a thin-skinned plum, or you should skin them, but ours was not a thin-skinned plum, and the plums melt down quite a bit and there's bit of plum skin, but it's not so bad. But if you want to make it right, skin the plums. It's easy and fast and worth it but if you're just wanting a good, relatively healthy pie, leave them on. More fiber and nutrients never hurts. :)

Here's the recipe I used. I never would have thought of plum pie, but now I long for it. Buying enough plums would cost a fortune!

Theoretically it's supposed to have purple prune plums, but I don't know that ours were. It worked.

20 or so plums
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 to 2 tablespoons cinnamon (yes, it sounds odd. No, it's not strong of cinnamon! Amazing)
1 9 inch pie shell, unbaked
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425

Wash and dry plums, cut in halves and remove pits (I would skin before cutting if I were making for company or a competition of some sort). Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/4 of this mixture over bottom of pie crust. Overlap plums in circles over mixture (In my expeirence, this shrinks down so much you can put them nearly standing up, really pack them in there, the mixture that gets sprinkled on top thickens juices. Start on the outside edge, and work inward, it's easier than the reverse, since the plums can lean against each other and the side of the pan, and you can make them look more pretty when it's nearly full). You do want them kind of "reclining" back in the pan, you want the cut side pointing up just a wee bit. Sprinkle remaining mixture over top, dot with butter, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes, reduce to 350 and bake 30-35 minutes longer. Check crust though and put a foil collar around the edge if it gets too dark. If you're oven temp is accurate, it shouldn't.

This is a surprisingly good pie. If you skin them, and your plums are the kind where the tart is in the skin, you may need to add a touch of lemon juice.

posted by Hardcore Poser at 9:55 PM on August 16, 2012

I made this plum crostata with thyme last year, using green gage plums, and it was *delicious*!
posted by pompelmo at 10:47 PM on August 16, 2012

The exact recipe is buried in one of my cookbooks, but I've done a pre-made plum pie/cobbler filling by filling a pies' worth of plums in a quart canning jar and filling the balance with a lemon/sugar syrup spiked with a little cinnamon or what spices you wish; can that for long term storage, and then when you are going to use it you just stir in a little cornstarch before dumping it into the crust or cobbler baking dish and proceeding as usual.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:05 AM on August 17, 2012

And here is the "plums for pies and cobblers" canning recipe:

6 pounds plums, pitted, cut into eighths
3 T fresh lemon juice
3 cups sugar, or to taste
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 pinches ground cloves

Put the plums, lemon juice, and about 2 cups of the sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. let sit at room temperature for an hour, or until the juices are just about deep enough to cover the plums. Place a colander over a pot and drain the plums into it. Return the plums to the bowl and toss with the rest of the sugar, the cinnamon and the cloves.

Start preparing 3 quart jars in your canner. Bring the plum juice in the pot to a boil. Pack the plums into the jars, leaving 1-1/2 inches headspace at the top. Ladle the plum juice into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal the jars and process for 25 minutes. Check the seals.

One quart jar is enough for a standard 9-inch pie. Stir in 3 tablespoons of cornstarch before filling the pie crust (or do what I did and just sort of add the plum filling and the cornstarch in layers and then stir it around a bit in the crust - I am pleased to say this worked).


I've also made something very much like this pound cake with chopped plums and yogurt, and it's also quite good. I use lemon yogurt, though.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:03 PM on August 31, 2012