Roasted Peach Plum Frozen Yogurt

I'm having a love affair with my ice cream maker lately.  Don't get me wrong, I always love it, but in the past week, I have made four different kinds of frozen yogurt and sorbet and there is one more ice cream flavor on my list.  Most of these frozen treats were made out of necessity (of course) since we often buy much more fruit than we can reasonably eat at the farmer's market.  I can't help it.  The berries and stone fruit look so delicious and I can't help feeling like they might be gone at any moment (except that they are there the next week).  Fruit starts to get over ripe and out comes the ice cream maker!

This frozen yogurt is a result of a massive number of peaches and plums that were sitting on the counter waiting a bit too long to be eaten.  I did a bunch of googling and was inspired by a Roasted Peach and Plum frozen yogurt that I found.  However, it had a bunch of steps, so I just used it as a jumping off point.  This frozen yogurt was so, so delicious.  Roasting the fruit really brought out the flavor and the sweetness of the fruit was offset by the tang of the Greek yogurt.  If you have some peaches and plum sitting around, make this!  Even if they are not the greatest farmer's market fruit, the roasting should make them taste delicious.

Roasted Peach Plum Frozen Yogurt
Sliced peaches and plums, enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup of sugar (adjusted for the sweetness of the fruit)
1 cup Greek Yogurt

Put the sliced peaches and plums in a pan, cover with brown sugar and roast at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until soft.

Cool the fruit to room temperature.  Put the fruit, sugar and yogurt in a blender and blend until smooth.

Chill in the fridge and then freeze in your ice cream maker.

Adventures with the Ice Cream Maker: Each Peach (Pear) Plum

Summer is here!  That means more time for baking and lots and lots and lots of delicious fruit at the farmer's market.  Here in LA, there is a farmer's market everywhere you turn.  We love going to Culver City, La Cienega, Beverly Hills (because our cucumber lady is there) and Mar Vista, but if you are an LA person and there are other markets you like, let me know!

There is one particular stand at the Culver City market that has a huge variety of amazing stone fruit.  They have all the standards, but also lots of interesting things, like donut peaches, red velvet apricots, pluots, and other deliciousness.

This plum ice cream came about because my husband thought he had purchased red velvet apricots for apricot ice cream.  After going back and forth and a lot of tasting, we decided they were plums, but that did not stop me from making ice cream out of them.  I used David Lebovitz's recipe for plum ice cream and the only thing I should have done was taste it before freezing it because it was so so tart.  It verged on being too tart and I should have added more sugar, but we have enjoyed eating it (although we haven't served it to guests).

After plum ice cream, I decided to make peach sorbet.  Haagen Daaz peach sorbet is one of my favorite things and this sorbet tasted exactly like that.  Sometimes when I make sorbet, it is too icy, but this one was smooth and almost creamy, even though there is no dairy in it.  Another David Lebovitz gem that is sure to make a re-appearance in our house.  You can find the recipe here.

I hope you enjoy these refreshing summer treat.  Don't forget -- when you see delicious fruit at your local market, sorbet or ice cream is always a great way to go.

Some Sweet Ideas for a Sweet New Year

It's hard to believe, but Rosh Hashanah is almost upon us.  Every year I say -- the holidays come up so quickly, but this year it is really true.  Two days after labor day, Jews all around the world will be crowding their synagogues to celebrate the new year.  One of the main traditions of Rosh Hashanah is to eat apples and honey, so that the year ahead will be sweet.  This can translate into many things -- from honey cake to apple pie to any sweet confection.  


A few weeks ago, we were in Santa Fe.  We went to the farmer's market, where it happend to be honey bee awareness week and there was a table with bees and a vendor selling delicious honey (we bought a number of jars and I hope to make something delicious with it, or just eat it on a nice, tart apple).  As you can see, my son was fascinated by the bees and we spent a long time at that table.

I haven't decided what to bake yet this year, but we thought we would leave you with a Rosh Hashanah Round Up, in case you plan further ahead than I do.  Enjoy these recipes and have a Shanah tovah u'metukah (a good and sweet new year).  Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite Rosh Hashanah or fall recipe.  Perhaps I will be inspired to make it!

An obvious and delicious apple treat...Apple Pie!

Moist and delicious Applesauce Spice Bars from Dorie Greenspan.  You can't go wrong with these and, if you are going to someone else's house, they travel pretty well.

If you want to enjoy the end of summer fruits a little longer, this Dimply Plum Cake (also from Dorie) is a perfect Rosh Hashanah treat.

If you want something light and easy, this Applesauce and Green Tea cake from Kosher By Design Lightens Up fits the bill.  It would be a delicious and not at all heavy ending to a holiday meal.

If you want to go for something chocolate, try our go-to parve chocolate cake (since holiday meals are often meat) or, if you are looking for something quick but delicious or something that would be good to have around as a holiday snack, a classic mandelbrot always goes over well.

And let's not forget challah...

Rosh Hashanah challah's are usually round, to symbolize the roundness of the world and the cycle of life.  You can make either of these recipes into round challahs (much easier than braiding!) 

Challah Recipe #1

Challah Recipe #2

Another Autumn Treat (Made During Summer)

So, I did a lot of baking for Rosh Hashanah. I made apple cake, orange cake, chocolate sorbet and a few other things I can't remember. However, due to an unfortunately timed stomach flu, I could not take pictures of any of it. However, the week before Rosh Hashanah I made this cake, which I think is a little taste of fall, since these small Italian prune plums only come out in the fall. However, here in Texas, fall doesn't come (as far as I can tell), but the fruit does.

This is a recipe I have made before. It is from Dorie, obviously, and it is called Dimply Plum Cake. It is really, really good. The first I made this, I made it with large plums, and did not need all 8 plums that the recipe calls for. When I made it with the smaller plums, I did use all eight. I think it is much better with the small plums, because when you cut it, everyone gets a plum, and you don't have to hack away at cooked fruit, which is always a plus. Anyway, you should make this cake when you are in a fall mood. It is a good cake to mark the transition from fall to summer.

Here's the recipe:

Dimply Plum Cake

- makes 8 servings -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or sunflower
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 purple or red plums, halved and pitted

Procedure

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom, if you’re using it.

2. Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in. Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla—the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

3. Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter—I usually make four rows of four plum halves each—jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes—during which time the plums’ juices will seep back into the cake—then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

Storing: You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.