Angela Casley Stonefruit Recipe Collection: Plum loaf, grilled apricot salad, plum yoghurt dessert
Make the most of stonefruit season and the glut of gorgeous produce with these recipes.
Plum and Caramel Loaf
Make 1 loaf
The plums will fit snugly into the base of the tin, so squash them in, as they will shrink when it cooks. I used caramel from a tin for the centre of this loaf. Alternatively, you could make your own. Make this loaf a day in advance and refrigerate overnight.
6 smallish plums halved
180g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup yoghurt
½ cup thickened caramel
To serve
Lightly whipped cream
Plums slices
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 1 litre loaf tin with paper.
2. Place the plums cut side down, covering the base of the loaf tin, fitting them tightly.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light in colour. Add the eggs one at a time. Then the vanilla.
4. Fold in the flour, baking powder and yoghurt to combine. Spread half the mixture over the plums. Spread the caramel in a line down the centre.
Top with the remaining batter. Smooth top.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft and spongey to touch. Remove and cool.
6. To serve tip the cake onto a plate or board.
Finish with a good dollop of lightly whipped cream and extra plum slices.
Grilled Apricots and Couscous Salad
Serves 4
Heating up the barbecue and grilling fruit caramelises them and brings out all the sweetness and colour. Apricots especially react well to this. I find they have more flavour once cooked.
Served in a crunchy fresh salad, what could be nicer?
8 apricots, halved, stones removed
1 Tbsp oil
2 cups cooked Israeli couscous
3 cups shredded rocket
1 cup diced cucumber
1 avocado, diced
Dressing
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp runny honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Method
1. Preheat the barbecue to medium heat.
2. Brush the cut faces of the apricot with oil. Place the flat side down on the grill and cook for a couple of minutes to brown. Maybe test one first, as every barbecue is slightly different.
3. Into a large bowl, place the couscous, rocket, cucumber, avocado and lemon juice, combining.
4. Combine the olive oil, honey, lemon juice and mustard and drizzle over the salad.
5. Add the apricots and gently toss everything together. Serve in a large bowl.
Plum & Yoghurt Whip
Serves 4
Pureed plums like this become light and fluffy. They are sumptuous and have so many uses. Here, fold them through yoghurt to create a very simple dessert that everybody will adore.
The puree can be drizzled over ice cream, added to a smoothie, semi-frozen as a sorbet or add to a marinade.
8 plums, stones removed
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
¼ cup chopped toasted pistachios
To serve
Extra plum slices
Method
1. In a medium-sized pot, place the roughly chopped plums, sugar, zest, juice and vanilla. Slowly bring to a heat, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the plums are completely soft. Remove and cool for 10 minutes, then blitz until completely smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
2. To serve, fold very gently through the yoghurt. Serve in glasses topped with toasted nuts.