Plum Salad With Fennel And Mint

Plum Salad With Fennel And Mint

This is a different take on a Valencian salad, normally made with oranges. This is the simplest of dishes and makes the most of the season’s fresh offerings, with minimal preparation — perfect for the hot days of summer. Hit the farmers’ market and select plums that are sweet, such as black plums or Mirabelles. Their sweet flavour truly shines in fresh preparations. Measure, or don’t — what’s important is 
to taste as you go.
Ingredients:

6 to 8 plums
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
1 bulb fennel
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
Maldon salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a pan over medium-low heat, toast almonds until golden brown. Tip almonds out of pan and set aside on a plate to cool. Slice the fennel very thinly either by hand or using mandoline. Remove the stones from the plums and slice each halve into 6 to 8 slices. Arrange the fennel and plums on a larger platter and drizzle olive oil over the plums. Stack and roll the mint leaves into a cigar and finely slice. Sprinkle the mint over the salad and top with the almonds. Sprinkle with Maldon salt and fresh pepper to taste.

Rustic Fruit Tarts

                                              

Rustic Fruit Tarts

Ingredients:

Pastry
9 tablespoons (128g) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons (35g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups (298g) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (57g) light cream or milk
Filling
1 cup (227g) sour cream, regular or low-fat
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
3 tablespoons (21g) Flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, optional
1 tablespoon (14g) lemon zest (grated rind) or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
3 to 4 large (454g to 567g) apples, peeled, cored and diced in 3/4" dice, or 4 to 5 large peaches or plums, peeled, pitted and diced
To finish (optional)
1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
coarse white sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top

Directions:
To make the pastry: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt and egg yolks until they're light-colored and fluffy.

Add the flour and cream, and mix until well-combined.

Divide the dough into 6 pieces, round each piece into a ball, flatten the balls into disks, then cover them with a damp cloth, or wrap with plastic wrap.

To make the filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, pie filling enhancer or flour, cinnamon, cardamom and lemon.

Toss the mixture with the diced fruit.

To assemble and finish the tarts: Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Roll the disks of dough into 8" circles, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the fruit filling into the center of each disk. Bring the sides of the dough up around the filling, making pleats to hold the dough in place if necessary.


Brush the sides of the tarts with the egg and water mixture (egg wash) and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.


Bake the tarts for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. The filling should be look cooked and bubble slightly around the edges, and the pastry lightly browned.

Honey Ginger Chicken With Fresh Plum Hoisin BBQ Sauce

HONEY GINGER CHICKEN WITH

FRESH PLUM HOISIN BBQ SAUCE

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. honey
1 T. minced fresh ginger 
1 tsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. Asian chili sauce (Sriracha)

2 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless 
   thighs
2 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 to 2 large plums, quartered, pitted, and cut into      
    1/4-inch pieces
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat grill. Stir together hoisin, soy, honey, ginger, vinegar, garlic, and cayenne in a small saucepan. 

Trim chicken of all fat and unwanted tissue. Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Coat chicken with 3 tablespoons of the sauce and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. 

Toss chicken with oil to coat and grill chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

2. While chicken is cooking, bring remaining sauce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add plums and simmer, stirring, 3 more minutes. 

Serve chicken topped with Plum Sauce and sprinkled with green onions. 

Roast Chicken With Plums

Roast Chicken With Plums

Ingredients:
2 large lemons
2 tablespoons ground sumac
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or minced
2 chickens, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds each
1 bunch thyme, more for garnish

For The Plums:
2 ¼ pounds plums, halved or quartered if large
4 shallots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice

1 bay leaf, torn in half

*

Directions:

Grate the zest from the lemons and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemons.

Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chickens, including inside the cavity.

Divide thyme bunch in half and place in the chicken cavities. Place chickens on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to roast, let chickens come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons water. Spread out plum mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place chickens on the rack over the plums in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until the birds are golden-skinned and cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer.

Let chickens rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the plums and more thyme for garnish.