A version of this post was originally sent to our email subscribers on September 18. To receive Sara Kate's weekly email, sign up in the column to the left or click here. Something tasty will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.
Although this email spoke of September as the best time for these plums, I'm still seeing them in the markets, so don't let the "end of summer" title deter you.
September has always been a time to eat as many Italian prune plums as possible. My mother made it so: a requirement like doing homework and practicing piano, prune plums were eaten in great quantities at the end of the summer. They were baked, grilled, and whizzed up into sauce for meat.
My favorite way to eat these special fruits is baked simply in a pie with a touch of cinnamon. Mom has been making this pie for as long as I can remember. I made a version of her recipe on Saturday afternoon using that delicious, no-fail Sour Cream Pie Crust and a big bowl of plums from the farmers' market.
Make it this weekend. It might be your last chance until next year.
End of Summer Prune Plum Pie
makes one 10-inch pie
20-30 Italian prune plums (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, in very thin slices
1 prepared, unbaked 10" pie crust
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Slice plums in half and remove pits. Pierce pie crust with a fork in several places. Sprinkle 1/4 of dry ingredients along bottom of crust. Layer sliced plums around in a circle, lining crust as evenly as possible. Sprinkle rest of dry ingredients over top of the plums. Dot with thin slices of butter.
Bake 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350° F and bake another 30 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and crust is a light golden brown. If, at any point, the crust begins to brown too deeply, shield with a ring of foil.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream, Crème Fraîche, or a scoop of ice cream.
Cheers,
Sara Kate
Last Week's Posted Email: From The Email: In Praise of the Domestic Mango
Wow, I made something that looks eerily similar last weekend: Ricotta Plum Pie with Lavender and Honey. Kind of spooked me out when I saw the picture of the pie in this post!
You can see it here:
http://twoalmostmavens.blogspot.com/2008/10/ricotta-plum-pie-with-lavender-and.html
Beth
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It is also similar to the Gourmet Cookbook (the big yellow book) Plum Tart. Uses 26 plums - great when the tree is loaded!
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