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Plums ripen to sweet perfection in mid to late summer, so now is the time to make the most of this abundant and beautiful fruit.
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First cultivated in China, plums are one of the most important tree-fruit crops right across the globe. We now understand ‘plum’ to mean fruit grown on the Prunus tree, but early use of the word in Britain was less precise. In the Middle Ages, the term referred to any type of dried fruit – which explains the names ‘plum cake’ and ‘plum pudding’ for bakes and desserts that are often mostly filled with raisins and currants.
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The numerous varieties come in a range of sizes, shapes, and colors, from tiny golden mirabelles to tender greengages and bloomy-skinned red and purple varieties. Enjoy them just as they are or bake them into puddings, cakes, and pies, such as this Baked Plum and Almond Pudding with Brandy Cream.
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Pictured above: Ricotta, Plums and Lavender from Bistronomy: French Food Unbound by Katrina Meynink
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New to your ckbk bookshelf is the exciting debut cookbook from London-based food writer Urvashi Roe – which is published today, September 1.
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Biting Biting
By Urvashi Roe
Urvashi Roe was brought up in a family that loves to snack. Any news of impending visitors would prompt a flurry of activity in the kitchen. Within 30 minutes, her mother and aunties would have a spread of vegetarian and vegan snacks prepared. Beer snacks, bhajia, salty snacks, sweet nibbles… the ‘small eats’ in her debut book are typical of the things that Urvashi Roe’s family feast on when they get together.
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Black-Eyed Beans Bhajia and Steamed Savory Semolina Cake are just two tempting Gujarati-style snacks – there are plenty more. Small they may be, but they’re packed full of family memories, and Roe tells her family’s history, from Gujarat to East Africa to Britain, with honestly and wit – and, of course, plenty of food. Read more in our latest feature.
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Which iconic books would you like to see on ckbk?
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Back in 2015, our 1000 Cookbooks project began compiling cookbook recommendations from leading chefs, authors, and food experts. To date we have received nearly 10,000 individual cookbook recommendations, allowing us to build an authoritative ranking of the best and most influential cookbooks of all time. With the introduction of ckbk’s à la carte collection, we can now bring you numerous iconic titles that were previously unavailable because of licensing restrictions.
We already have six of the 20 most recommended books available as à la carte titles. The availability of some of these books varies by territory, but all should be globally available on ckbk soon. Have your say to help us decide which of the remaining books in the top 20 should be added to ckbk. Visit our feature to find out more and cast your vote.
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Cookbook showcase: family feasts
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As the summer draws to a close and kids go back to school, it can be quite a challenge feeding a hungry family without running out of steam or sacrificing flavor. The books in our Family Feasts showcase have all you need to keep everyone satisfied.
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What to eat now: scallops and bell peppers
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Scallops are prized by cooks all around the world, from China to the Caribbean. An edible mollusc whose different varieties vary in size, they are fished in the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, and are also farmed.
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Bell peppers, also called capsicums, come in a rainbow of colors, from green to orange and red. Ripening in mid to late summer in the Northern Hemisphere, they’re associated with warm-weather cooking.
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6 weekday suppers
These six dishes are ideal at the end of a work, school, or university day – they don’t take long and there is no compromise on flavor.
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