PLENTY OF PLUMS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 343, 18 January 1946, Page 22

PLENTY OF PLUMS

OW is the time to make the most of plums, and as there are sO many varieties they do not become monotonous. Remember that for jam-making the plums must be dry, i.e., not picked immediately after rain; otherwise the jam does not keep so well. This applies to all stone-fruit. This week I will give dessert-recipes using plums; and next week the jams, jellies, chutneys and sauces which may be made from them, Plum Delight Stew gently a pound of plums in slightly sweetened water. See that they stay whole. If very large you may cut them in halves; but they should not be allowed to stew to a pulp. Lift them out carefully into a glass bowl. Add enough hot water to the juice in the saucepan to make up a pint, and in it dissolve a packet of orange jelly crystals. Make up, also, nearly a pint of custard; and when cool, beat it into the jelly just as it is beginning to set. Pour this all over the plums in the glass dish, and leave to set. Fresh Plum Pudding (using stale bread) Cook about 144lb. of fresh red plums in about a teacup of water, adding a couple of tablespoons of sugar; when soft, remove the stones. Line a pudding basin or mould neatly with slices of stale bread--cut these into wedge-like pieces and fit them neatly round the sides, with a round piece of bread at the bottom. Carefully soak this lining with some of the plum juice. Now put in a layer of the soft plums, and then a layer of thin bread, and so on until the basin is full, finishing with a layer of bread. Cover with a saucer or plate which fits tightly, and put a weight on top. Leave till cold. Turn out of basin and serve with a good custard or mock cream. \ Plum Mousse Stew about a dozen large plums with very little water and sugar to taste. When cooked, rub through a coarse sieve. There should be a half-pint of good rich pulp. Make a custard with a breakfast cup of rich milk and the yolk of 2 eggs, sweetening a little, and when cold beat it into the plum pulp. Have a dessertspoon of gelatine ready dissolved in about 2 tablespoons of the plum juice, and stir this into the mixture, Taste to see whether sweet enough, Whisk up about half a teacup of cream (good top milk) and stir in lightly. Leave the mixture until beginning to set, and then fold in 2 egg-whites beaten stiff. Pour into a wet mould and leave to set. Fanciful Plum Pudding (no sugar) Skin about a pound of good firm plums, Cut them in halves and remove stones, Add to them 44lb. walnuts, finely chopped, a chopped apple or two, the juice of a lemon, and 1% to 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. Boil all together

for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve cold with the following sauce, Banana and Plum Sauce Mash a good-sized ripe banana, and beat it with the pulp of half a dozen raw plums, skinned and stoned. Add a little sugar and a cupful of thick topmilk well beaten. Mix all smoothly, adding a drop or two of red colouring, if liked. Mock Creams No. 1, Two tablespoons full cream milk powder, 42 pint milk, 1 teaspoon icing sugar, Mix well together and leave for 12 to 24 hours-according to weather. No, 2. Bring to the boil 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, and 1 cup water. Moisten with milk 2 level tablespoons custard powder. Soak 1 teaspoon gelatine with 2 teaspoons of cold water. Pour the boiling\ milk and water on the custard powder, and return to the pan to cook, When taken off the heat, add the gelatine mixture, and leave till cold. In the meantime cream thoroughly 4oz, butter and 2oz. sugar. Add by teaspoons the cold gelatine and custard mixture, and beat all in, Finally whisk with egg whisk, No. 3. Half a pint of milk, %oz. cofnflour, loz. butter, loz. sugar, Mix cornflour with a little cold milk, Heat the rest of milk, add the cornflour, and stir till boiling. Cook 3 minutes, stirring all the time; leave till cold. Cream butter and sugar, Whip the cornflour mixture when cold, and beat it into the butter and sugar, Beat till smooth. Good for cakes and cold sweets.