Foodie Blog

Black Doris Plums

9th February 2007

I always hang out for February when my very biggest favourite of summer fruits the Black Doris plum comes to the party. If I haven’t seen them for sale in supermarkets so I head to K.C. Loo in Mount Eden Road, who never let me down with supply. Black Doris plums hit the stores around February and while you are there, pick up some Australian mangos. GOOD GRIEF they are amazing and certainly worth a few extra dollars!

Back to my plums that I went overboard with and purchased 4 kg in my excitement! Plums grown in Europe originated from fruits of Damascus, Syria and Persia. They have stones like human fingerprints, each one being unique to a particular variety. Plums are high in carbohydrates, low in fat and low in calories. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and fibre. Also free of sodium and cholesterol and like all fruit, plums contain a substantial amount of vitamin C. Plums are now the second most cultivated fruit in the world, second only to apples.

Here is the question of the day! Why is a plum pudding called plum pudding when there are no plums in it? Prune (a dried plum) is actually derived from the same word as plum - the Latin word was pruna, which changed in the Germanic languages into pluma. But the terms were confused in the 16th and 17th centuries and people talked about growing prunes in their garden instead of plums. This can still happen in France to this day. Dried plums, or prunes, were popular in pies in medieval times, but gradually in the sixteenth and seventeenth century they were often replaced by raisins. Despite this, the name of these dishes remained the same to this very day where we still use terms like plum pudding and plum cake. And just to confuse you a little more, raisins were sometimes called plums in the 19th century, but only when they were used as an ingredient in a plum pudding or plum cake.

Here is a favourite of mine recipe for my favourite plums. Through the magic science that is “cooking” the slightly tart, fresh tasting plums take on a different almost jelly-like texture and become ultra sweet and delicious when grilled with sugar.

Sugar-Grilled Plums with Plum Jam & Vanilla Whipped Cream

12 plums
caster or icing sugar for dusting
100mls heavy cream
1 teaspoon caster
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence plum jam (black Doris if possible)

Set the oven to grill. Cut the plums in half by cutting around the stone across the width. Twist the two segments against each other being careful not to bruise the flesh and remove the stone.

Dust the plum halves heavily with sugar then place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper or foil. Grill for 8-10 minutes or until the sugar caramelises. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla.

Plop plums with spoonfuls of jam and distribute between 6 serving glasses. Serve topped with the whipped cream.

Serves 6

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