Jul 17 2012
I Scream, You Scream…
…but obviously not because there’s a large spider staring at you from the kitchen counter, although that would probably do the trick as well. I should know. No, this post has nothing to do with arachnids (I can hear a collective sigh of relief) and everything to do with frozen desserts made with fruit.
And not just any kind of fruit, mind you, but the plums that have invaded my kitchen for the past few days, collected as they were from our yard upon our return from vacation. Pounds and pounds of them were turned into jam, and some of them were turned into ice cream (among other things).
Credit for the ice cream recipe goes to David Lebovitz and his book, The Perfect Scoop. I used more plums than he did and omitted the kirsch in the original because I wanted nothing but the fruit to come through, and boy does it ever. It has the sweet-tart flavor of the just picked plum, with so much summer packed into every spoonful you could get a sunburn. It’s so, so very good, it’s really worth going out of your way to make some. Truly one of the best flavors of the year, and one you can only enjoy for a short time. After this batch is gone, I’ll just weep until next year. Or maybe I’ll just get myself to the farmer’s market for some fresh plums, presto.
Plum Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop
1.5 lb plums, pitted
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Cook the plums and sugar over medium-low heat until tender (this could take anywhere from 7 to 15 min., depending on the plums you’re using). Add a little bit of water to the pan if the plums do not render very much juice; be careful not to scorch the fruit. Remove from heat, let cool and process in a blender until smooth.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Add cream to the plum puree and mix well. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The mixture goes in...
... and churns away.
With brambleberries and peppermint from our garden
Up next: plum butter and some fancy grillin’.
