Chilled Plum, Raspberry and Tarragon Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Fruit soups are a great item to make in the summer, especially now when the plums are so delicious. And I love the inclusion of tarragon to the flavor list. I like to garnish this with a little scoop of creme fraiche and a fresh tarragon sprig.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (about 6) ripe red plums, plus 1 plum, skin on and cut into 1/4-inch dice for garnish
6 ounces raspberries, plus more for garnish
1 cup white wine or champagne
6 tablespoons sugar
3 sprigs tarragon, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier (optional)
1/4 cup water

Procedure
Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add plums; blanch until skin begins to peel, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove plums from water; place in the ice bath until cool. Remove plums from ice bath, reserving ice bath.

Peel plums, remove pits, cut into chunks, and place in a medium saucepan. Add the raspberries, wine, sugar, tarragon, triple sec (if using), and the water to the saucepan; cover, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and allow to simmer until plums are falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a clean bowl, and place in the reserved ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold. Remove tarragon sprigs from cold mixture, and transfer mixture to a blender. Puree, working in batches if necessary. Serve garnished with diced plum, raspberries, and tarragon.

Plum and Ginger Soda

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
The purple plums are really fantastic right now — the ones on my tree are almost ripe! So, I am in the plum mood, and I thought: why not do a drink with them? Just because I can't eat ginger doesn't mean you can't.

Ingredients
2 ripe plums, skin on, chopped
3 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 can club soda

Procedure
Bring water to a boil. Toss in chopped plums, reduce heat, and simmer until plums are cooked and mushy and the liquid is bright red, about 15 to 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of simmering, toss in ginger slices. Turn off heat and stir in sugar until fully dissolved. Let cool. Strain liquid and discard solids. Add ice cubes to each glass and fill with plum syrup to two thirds of the way. Top with club soda, give each glass a stir, and serve. Needless to say a shot of liquor in this wouldn't hurt — maybe some vanilla-scented vodka?

Buffalo Mozzarella With Balsamic Glazed Plums and Pine Nuts

Nice New Nibbles
Yesterday I was served some boring bruschetta again for the 200th time. Yes, I love mozzarella and basil and tomato, but there are other more wonderful things you can do with mozzarella — especially if you bother to buy the good stuff, the buffalo kind. Here is a great option from Food 52. It opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Ingredients
1 large ball buffalo mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
4 ripe plums, pitted and quartered
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 splash olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure
Put vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Adjust heat to low and simmer until it is reduced nearly three-quarters in volume and thickened to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Add plums to syrup turning gently to coat and continue to cook for another 4-7 minutes more. Turn off heat and let cool. Meanwhile assemble mozzarella slices on platter, allowing to overlap slightly and season with salt and pepper to taste. WIth a fork, remove plums from syrup and place atop cheese, then top with the remaining syrup, pine nuts and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with some baguette slices.

Skillet Cobbler

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I like this cobbler recipe because it goes together so fast and you can use any kind of ripe summer fruit. It's really more of a fresh fruit cake and it uses the crème fraiche we just taked about!

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups crème fraiche, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 pounds pitted and sliced plums
1 cup of any kind of fancy fruit preserves
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350.Whisk together the flour, sugar, powder and salt and set aside. In another bowl combine the eggs, 1/2 the crème fraiche milk and vanilla. Now combine wet and dry mixes. Melt butter in a 12 inch cast iron frying pan and swirl the butter around to make sure it coast the sides as well as the bottom of the pan then remove from heat and pour in the batter. Scatter the cut up fruit into the batter and add dollops of the jam.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool while you prepare the yummy topping. In the bowl of your electric mixer whip the heavy cream til soft peaks form, now fold in the sugar and the remaining 1 cup of crème fraiche. Cut cobbler in wedges and serve with cream. This recipe would be great with peaches, nectarines, cherries, and kind of berries, really you can’t go wrong.

Fresh Plum or Apricot Cake

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is a great all-purpose recipe to make when you have perfectly ripe fruit.
It’s a simple procedure and it goes like this:

Ingredients
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
6 large purple plums, pitted and quartered

Procedure
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and the 1 cup of the sugar. Add lemon juice and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add to batter combining well. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch pan with a removable bottom. Smooth batter on top. Arrange quarters of plum closely in circles covering batter. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 50-60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Loosen edges with a sharp knife before releasing pan. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

The Plum Blossom

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Here is a unique and refreshing cocktail using plums, which are in season right now. This beverage uses Aperol, an Italian bitter liquor with the flavors of Rhubarb and citrus. It's available at Susan’s Wines and Liquors — a fantastic shop, well-stocked with exotic ingredients — in the shopping center near Tiny’s and Ziggy’s, at the intersection of St Francis and Cerrillos. This recipe makes 8 drinks, so I hope you have some thirsty friends.

Ingredients
4 medium plums (about 10 ounces) pitted
1 1/2 ounces simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
8 ounces Aperol
1 bottle chilled sparkling wine

Procedure
First you need to make the plum puree. Combine the ripe pitted plums with the simple syrup and the lemon juice in the blender and puree till smooth. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, and it's ready to go. This can be made up to one day ahead. Now to make each cocktail pour one ounce of puree into 8 champagne flutes, stir in 1 ounce of Aperol and top up with sparkling wine. Now you are ready to go!

Plum Pie with Crumb Crust

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Here is Susan Purdy's recipe for a plum pie with a crumb crust, which is so perfect for right now. It's from Pie in the Sky, Susan's high-altitude gem, which I totally trust, and you should too!

Ingredients for filling
4 cups sliced plums pitted and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for crumb topping
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup gran. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted room temp. butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400, and set shelf in the lower 1/3 of the oven. In a large bowl, toss the sliced fruit, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter with your fingertips, or you can do this in a food processor and pulse till you get small crumbs. Add the chopped nuts and mix.

Scoop 1 1/2 cups of this mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate, and pat flat with your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup. Spread the fruit and juice over the crumbs and and sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top. Bake on a sheet pan lined with tin foil to collect the drips in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or till the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife. The fruit juices should be bubbling through the pie around the edges and the crumbs should be golden brown. Cover with foil if it starts to get too dark. Serve warm with ice cream, of course!

Summer Fruit Cobbler

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This time of year, with all the lovely summer fruit falling off the trees and practically hitting you on the head, perhaps it's time to talk about cobblers. And who better to go to than Susan Purdy, the queen of high altitude baking? This recipe was influenced by a cobbler she had made by Peyton at Harry’s Roadhouse, right here in Santa Fe. Once you get the basic technique down, you can use a variety of fruit fillings. So this is how you do it:

Ingredients for dough
1 1/2 cups A.P. flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons gran. sugar
pinch nutmeg
4 tablespoons=1/2 stick butter room temp
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 room temp egg

Ingredients for fruit filling
apple juice or orange juice 3/4 cup to 1 1/3 cup, depending on juiciness of fruit
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 to 3/4 cup light brown sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups sliced ripe fruit plums, peaches, nectarines or berries pitted and thickly sliced

Procedure
Preheat oven to 425. Find a 10-12 inch deep baking pan or use a 2-4 quart dutch oven or an old cast iron skillet.
Prepare the dough in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse together the flour, powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg. Add the butter and pulse till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and egg, pulse just till mixture comes together — don’t over mix. Set aside.

Now prepare the fruit filling: In a thick-bottomed skillet, whisk together the apple or orange juice and the cornstarch, then stir in the sugar, lemon, orange zest and cinnamon. Add the cut-up fruit and set over medium heat. Bring to the boil and then cover the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit is tender and easily pierces with a knife. Now transfer fruit to baking dish, if using, while still hot (very important). Take tablespoons of the prepared dough and spoon on top of the fruit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and set it on a sheet pan lined with tin foil (to help with sticky clean up) in your very hot oven to bake for 25-35 minutes, or until dough is puffed up and golden brown.