I've stopped buying my fruit from the supermarkets recently, because it's so frustrating looking at rows of hard, refrigerated peaches, nectarines and plums (from California). When I want a peach, I want one that's perfectly soft and ripe. It will be so sweet and juicy that the juice runs down my chin...
So, please buy LOCAL produce!! Here, in and around Boston, the farm stands and orchards are fruitful with pick-your-own peaches and apples. At my local orchard, I was lucky to find "over-ripe" nectarines and plums on the seconds shelf, the nectarines were perfect for immediate consumption. The plums, however, were a little soft, so I decided to make a "baked jam". I'd been watching a show on the Cooking Channel, called "Chuck's Day Off" (it's about a cute Canadian chef who cooks delicious meals on his day off!) In this particular segment, he was making breakfast for a friend and prepared a plum jam by just baking them in the oven. OK, it's not technically jam, but there's a heck of a lot less sugar and much more fruity. I tried it on a slice of my freshly baked bread, and then spooned it onto Greek yogurt for dessert. It was definitely worth making and I hope you give it a try.
Roasted Plum Jam
Ingredients:
4 or 5 ripe plums
4 teaspoons sugar, brown or white
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an oven proof dish with non-stick spray.
- Quarter the plums and remove the pits.
- Lay them in the dish evenly in one layer. Sprinkle them with the sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.
- Place them in the preheated oven and bake for approx. 40 minutes or until the fruit is tender. You may need to turn them once half way through cooking and add a little water if they don't seem very juicy.
- Serve straight from the oven on toast or allow to cool and serve on yogurt. Enjoy!
The bread shown above is the latest No knead recipe I've found, adapted from the Food Wishes blog site. It's so easy and delicious, that I find myself baking a loaf at least once a week. Stay tuned and I promise to post the recipe real soon.....
Comments