Just the Tools at Hand

Today is the first time I've been camping in a long, long, long time.  It's my little guy's first experience.  His enthusiasm was... effervescent.  Of course, this involved campfire cooking.  Other than forgetting how long everything takes (coffee might be done by lunch), it went well.

My Boy Scout days taught me the utility of cooking in foil.  But let's just say that my palate has progressed past a hunk of ground beef with onion and potato slices.  The art form, however, can still be beautiful.

You also don't have to wait for a camp out to do this.  The coals in the barbecue grill work just fine too.

Campfire potatoes are simply sliced Yukon golds, fresh rosemary and thyme, generous salt & pepper, and some fat (olive oil works, and so does leftover duck fat).

Dessert (well, pre-s'mores anyway) was this delicious stone fruit concoction.  Ginger snaps, sliced fruit, lime zest and juice, and I substituted dark rum for brandy and maple syrup for sugar, and WOW.

The true stroke of genius, though, was using leftover ginger snaps for the s'mores.  OH YEAH.

Pflaumkuchen! Say that three times fast!

Plums.  Little gleaming rubies, amethysts and garnets shining from the basket, beckoning to you as you walk by.  Sweet, tart, juicy.  mmm...  I love when the plums come in, especially when they get just sweet enough to eat by themselves.  Again, if you want to cook with them, do as little as possible to the fruit itself, and let it shine all on its own.

Every year since I can remember, my family made Pflaumkuchen (German:  plum torte).  It's the simplest thing, but it evokes such strong memories for me.  I remember my mom chastising me for eating the plums as fast as she could slice them for the torte.  I make this at least twice every year myself, and it's the most wonderful thing.

It's really easy.  The whole recipe is a simple tart crust, topped with plums macerated with some sugar and cornstarch.  As it bakes, the juices of the plums seep down into the crust, turning it from a simple, sweet crust into a purple bed of heaven on which the fruit rests.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt
1 stick butter

1 egg, beaten
1/2 lemon's zest

Topping:
3-4 cups plums, pitted and sliced
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Mix the dry ingredients for the crust, then cut in the butter until it resembles very fine meal.  A food processor is great for this.  Add egg and lemon zest, work with fingers until very smooth.  Press the crust into a 9-inch pie plate or torte pan, pushing the crust up the edges by half an inch or so.  Flute the edges.  Chill the crust until you're ready to put it in the oven.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix the plums with the remaining ingredients, absorbing their juices, and allow to macerate for 10 minutes.  Stir once more, then arrange plum slices on the crust in a nice pattern.  Scrape the collected liquid remaining in the bowl over the top of the torte.  Bake 40 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.  Allow to cool completely, then serve with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream.

Welcome to the family!

Stone fruit season has begun!

That's a scene that just warms my heart. We'll get to see it for the next couple of months.  Large baskets filled with a cornucopia of peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines.  I almost want to dive into the display, head first, mouth open.  I'm about to tell you what you can do with them, but nothing I'll tell you can top this one tip:  eat them.  Eat them whole, just as Mother Nature intended.  Chefs and bakers the world over try every day to take these gems and improve on them. While they make wonderful things for us, no one yet has made something better than eating the fruit itself.

Photo via Davison Orchards

That's not to say we can't make wonderful things.  What I'll advise you, though, is that the less you do to the fruit, the better your dish will be. For example, this recipe for grilled peaches does nothing to the fruit itself other than slightly grilling them.  And it's a wonderful dessert.  My 5-year-old is a huge fan of helping me put nectarines and berries in the food processor, pushing the pulp through a strainer into Popsicle forms, and having a cool summer treat.

Photo via VegKitchen

Over the summer you'll see about an article a week about various stone fruits and ideas for them.  Of course we'll talk about baking, but there will be articles about preserving, cocktails, savory dishes and more.  The next fruit article will be about a dessert tradition in my family this time of year, Pflaumkuchen.

I'm looking forward to a fruit-filled summer.  How about you?

Take Another Little Piece of My Tart!

Back in March, I posted my no-fail tart crust recipe.  At the time it was for a Cinnamon Apple Tart, but now it's summertime and that means stone fruit is coming out of our ears!  So with this weeks nectarines, you'll be well on your way to wowing those around you with a chic nectarine tart.  Below are some past versions of nectarine tarts I've made, and you already know how incredible the local blackberries are, so if you're already afraid of blackberry withdrawal for this week, go ahead and snag a pint to create a Nectarine & Blackberry Tart.

Nectarine & Blackberry Tart

Nectarine, Plum & Cherry Tart

Now that I have you drooling, click through to view the No-Fail Tart Crust recipe and get ready to be crowned the queen of tarts!