Plums and elderberries have been on my mind over the last few weeks. The plum trees growing in the Church orchard at Addingham are dripping with dark red fruit waiting to be picked by someone brave enough to climb the ladder. Last week I plucked up courage and asked the gardener if I could have some. I was not brave enough to climb the ladder but I was given a trugful all the same. This left me with the challenge of what to do with these beautiful fruit.
I have bottled some, sunk my teeth in to others and baked a tray full with a dribble of elderberry, flavoured honey. I finished them with a scattering of almond crackle. Simple and really lovely to eat,
Baked plums with elderberry honey
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 6 large plums, cut in half stone removed
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- Berries from 1-2 elderberry droops, washed
- 2-3 tbsp almond crackle*
Method
Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Place the plums cut side up on a baking tray or bun tin. Place the honey in a small bowl. Remove the elderberries from their stalks and place in a metal sieve or tea strainer. Crush the berries with a metal spoon and allow the juice to drip into the honey. Stir the honey and elderberry juice together well and dribble over the tray of cut plums. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and cook the plums until they are soft and their juice bubbles from the skins. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with crushed almond crackle*(see recipe below). Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt.
To make almond crackle....
Ingredients
80g almonds
150g caster sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Remove and allow to cool.
Place 3 tablespoons of water and the caster sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and swirl together. It is important not to stir the sugar and water. Gently heat the sugar and water until they reach a simmer - continue to swirl every now and then. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the solution begins to change to a golden colour. At this point pour over the tray of cooled almonds and allow the sugar solution to set a little before placing the tray of almonds in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. Remove almonds from the freezer when the sugar is solid and brittle. Crush the almonds and hardened sugar into shards and use to scatter over puddings, in crumbles or just to nibble. A really useful addition to lots of sweet things.