This recipe still feels vaguely summer-like, and there are still some late-season plums available. I'm not a huge fan of eating plums "raw", but I do like them cooked in things. Who better to turn to than Nigel Slater, who is a master at transforming most fruits into a sweet or savoury experience. This recipe is from his Tender Vol. II book, and his attempt looks like this.
I took the tin pie plate to be optional and made mine in a ceramic pie dish.
First wash your plums. I used an assortment of blue and yellow, as you can see. The yellow pits were a pain to remove. I don't think swearing at plums affects the flavour.
And here the are, split and swimming in cinnamon and a little sugar. Can't get much easier than that.
Did I mention this is a single crust pie? Chalk up another point on the easy scale!
And here's what you get for your very minimal efforts. Very nice with some cream, as Nigel suggests, or ice cream, or even custard. Make some while summer's still here.A single crust pie for particularly juicy plums
From Nigel Slater's Tender Vol. II
For the pastry:
butter, 100g
golden caster sugar, 100g
an egg, lightly beaten
plain flour, 175g
baking powder, ½ tsp
a little milk for brushing
For the filling:
ripe plums or greengages, 800g-1kg
golden caster sugar, 2-3 tbsp
ground cinnamon, a knifepoint
Cream the butter and caster sugar in a food mixer till light and fluffy.
Mix in the lightly beaten egg, then gently add the flour and baking powder. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and roll into a ball on a heavily floured work surface. Knead the dough for a minute or two until smooth and soft. Wrap in greaseproof or waxed paper and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Cut the ripe plums or greengages in half and remove their stones.
Cut the fruit into large pieces, toss with the caster sugar and cinnamon and put into a lightly buttered 20–22cm baking dish.
Roll out the pastry on a floured board, then lift carefully on to the pie. There will be a little left over. The crust is very short and it really doesn't matter if it tears as you lower it over the fruit. Some of the juice will probably erupt through it as it cooks anyway. At least I hope so.
Brush the pastry lightly with milk and bake for 40 minutes. The pastry should be pale-biscuit coloured. Dust with caster sugar and serve warm with cream.
For the pastry:
butter, 100g
golden caster sugar, 100g
an egg, lightly beaten
plain flour, 175g
baking powder, ½ tsp
a little milk for brushing
For the filling:
ripe plums or greengages, 800g-1kg
golden caster sugar, 2-3 tbsp
ground cinnamon, a knifepoint
Cream the butter and caster sugar in a food mixer till light and fluffy.
Mix in the lightly beaten egg, then gently add the flour and baking powder. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and roll into a ball on a heavily floured work surface. Knead the dough for a minute or two until smooth and soft. Wrap in greaseproof or waxed paper and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Cut the ripe plums or greengages in half and remove their stones.
Cut the fruit into large pieces, toss with the caster sugar and cinnamon and put into a lightly buttered 20–22cm baking dish.
Roll out the pastry on a floured board, then lift carefully on to the pie. There will be a little left over. The crust is very short and it really doesn't matter if it tears as you lower it over the fruit. Some of the juice will probably erupt through it as it cooks anyway. At least I hope so.
Brush the pastry lightly with milk and bake for 40 minutes. The pastry should be pale-biscuit coloured. Dust with caster sugar and serve warm with cream.
