The Original Plum Torte Recipe

This was originally printed in the New York Times, Wednesday September 9, 1992 in an article called Eating Well by Marian Burros.

Ingredients: 

  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 1/2 c unsalted butter
  • 1 c flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch salt, optional
  • 2 eggs
  • 12 Italian prune plums
  • Sugar and lemon juice for topping
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.  Spoon the batter into an 8”, 9”, or 10” spring form pan.  Split and pit the plums and place the halves, skin side up, on top of the batter.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon, depending o the sweetness of the fruit.  Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake about an hour.  Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired.  Or cool to lukewarm and then serve plain or with whipped cream.  Yield: 8 servings.  Note: to freeze, double wrap torte in aluminum foil place in plastic bag, and seal.  To serve, defrost and reheat briefly at 300 degrees.

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September 28 2009 | Baking and Harvest and Recipes | No Comments »

The Rise Again of the Fallen Apples

At my community garden, there is an organic heritage orchard with a number of large apple, pear, quince, and Asian pear trees.  There is also a bunch of rows of espalier apple trees.  The heritage apple varieties on the espaliers are so unique that I thought it would be fun to pick up the fallen apples and make an applesauce with the 40 or so different flavours.  I was right, it was fun.  Cutting open the apples, fearing a worm, but finding crisp white or golden or even pink flesh was a thrill.  The flavour?  Well, the richness and zing they provide to the final applesauce is magnificent.  I’ve posted the recipe here so that no more poor fallen apples will ever have to go uneaten. 

Fallen Applesauce Recipe

  • 1 crate fallen apples
  • apple cider
  • water
  • 1-2 cups sugar (many of my apples were sweet, so I used less than a cup of sugar.  Plus I like it to taste true to the apples).
  • cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground nutmeg

Directions:

  1. Wash, core and peel the apples (cut out worms or any bruising) only use what you would eat fresh.  No need to peel the apples!
  2. Cook the apples, sugar, cinnamon sticks and spices slowly in a cup of cider and a cup of water.  Add more liquid, sugar and/or spices as you cook to get the flavour and consistency you like.  Personal taste is the only rule here!
  3. When apples are tender, remove cinnamon sticks and set aside.  Blend apples with an immersion blender until smooth. You can add the cinnamon back in now if you’d like.
  4. Continue to add liquid and cook the apples, until you get the consistency and flavour you like. 
  5. Ladle into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
  6. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude if necessary).  The applesauce can also be frozen if you prefer.

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September 18 2009 | Canning and Community Garden and Growing Food and Harvest and Photography and Recipes | No Comments »

Kale Chips Recipe

kale for dinner(Custom)

Wash & remove thick stems from a bunch of kale. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil & sprinkle lightly w/Kosher salt.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 min until crispy.

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July 13 2009 | Photography and Recipes | 2 Comments »

Pork Tenderloin w/ Cherry Reduction, Sautéed Fennel, and Spinach Chive Toast

Pork Marinade

½ cup cranberry or blueberry or cherry juice

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

3/4 pound pork tenderloin

Salt and pepper

Mix first 3 ingredients in a bowl and marinade tenderloin for a minimum of 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill pork off heat on BBQ for 10-15 mins.  Keep basting with marinade as it cooks. Allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve it sliced widthwise ½” thick.

Cherry Reduction

1/2 pound dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 tsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sweet wine (I used rhubarb wine)

Process all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fine.  Transfer to a skillet and bring to a boil on med-high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce to medium and continue stirring as the sauce thickens and reduces by about half the original volume, about 8 minutes.  Spoon finished reduction over pork tenderloin to serve.

Sautéed Fennel

2 fennel bulbs

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chop fennel bulbs by slicing the bulb crosswise starting at one corner and continue to create ¼” thick pieces.  Discard the stalk and foliage.  Warm olive oil in a skillet on med-high heat.  Sautee fennel until slightly soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Do not overcook.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Spinach Chive Toast

Handful of chives

Handful of spinach

Large knob of butter (about ¼ cup)

Dollop of olive oil.

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until butter is completely mixed, and spread on hot toast. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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June 14 2009 | Recipes | No Comments »

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