A Plum Cake for Breakfast and Other Good Things

Plum Crumble Cake, my Favourite Way to Cook Beets, Roasted Squash and Sage Brown Butter, and Black Bean Soup

There is a chill in the air the past 2 weeks, which has me savoring my time in the kitchen more than I have in a while. I say this about every month from May-October, but this is my favourite month for cooking. In Michigan, the last of the summer produce is still in relative abundance while crops that signal the end of the growing season trickle in- squash of course as well as radicchio and soft salad greens that do not enjoy the burn of the summer heat. Radishes and little Japanese turnips re-appear, they too do not enjoy heat, it makes them sometimes unbearably spicy. Not to mention roots such as beets and carrots and the ALLIUMS! This is the time for leeks to shine as well as onions and garlic that have been cured and are at their peak delicousness.

I love eating with the seasons and fully admit to going crazy buying produce, even when I’m on a tight budget. I get seduced easily by the magnificence of beautiful vegetables, my heart actually skips a beat, many beats, when I walk into a space full of it. Everything tastes better when you eat with the seasons. Not only because it literally just tastes better, but because everything is exciting, filled with a mix of bittersweet emotion because of the transitory nature of its existence- asparagus means it’s spring, and for a few weeks it feels like we eat nothing else and then it is gone for another year; the first tomato of the year is the best you’ve ever had; the first batch of pesto is sensory overload; the last of the tomatoes has me filled with panic, wondering why I didn’t preserve any this year!

In my panic to hoard as much beautiful produce as I possibly can fit in my fridge, I sometimes forget that I have to cook it. Also that my kids, like most children, are picky eaters and WILL NOT eat the eggplant or the zucchini or the beets or the turnips or the radishes or frankly most of the things I have bought. I have to find sneaky ways to hide vegetables in things they do like. A black bean soup this week had peppers, tomatoes and radish and turnip greens, blended to hide any evidence of these ‘disgusting’ things. I served it with some fresh corn tortillas which, when I have the bandwidth, I make from scratch, having the kids do the slightly tedious job of rolling and pressing them. They love it, which is a big win for me.

I had a bag of plums that had been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks, getting more and more sad by the day. I had grand plans for these plums when I bought them- CHEESECAKE! JAM! My favourite Dianna Henry plum sauce! Alas they sat, tormenting me because I just couldn’t get to them. In the end I made this rather delightful little crumble cake. It is simple and humble and not too sweet so I felt just fine giving it to everyone for breakfast. This feels like a familiar theme in my life right now- grand plans that get reduced to something small and manageable and that turn out too be just fine, delightful even.

Plum Crumble Cake

I love to use the all-purpose flour from The Mill at Janie’s Farm for my baking when I can get it. It has an incredible flavour because it made using the whole wheat kernel but unlike many small millers, they have a triple-sifting process which means that the texture of the flour is comparable to that of more industrial all purpose flour (meaning it’s suitable for fine pastry baking). We used their flour at Ochre Bakery and I just can’t say enough good things about this company. The owners of the mill are also farmers and they changed from conventional farming to organic farming practices in the early 2000s for family health-related reasons. Since then they have helped surrounding farms transition from conventional to organic. Harold, the owner of the mill would sometimes come himself to deliver flour to our bakery in person, and he is just the best.

Cake:

1 stick minus 2 Tbl unsalted butter

3/4 c brown sugar, loose packed

1/4 c olive oil

2 eggs, room temp

1/2 c milk

1 1/2 c ap flour (plain flour)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

6 small plums, halved and pits removed

Topping:

2 T unsalted butter butter, softened

1/4 c ap flour (plain flour)

1/4 c brown sugar, loose packed

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8inch (20cm) cake tin or a small loaf tin.

• First make the topping: place everything in a bowl and rub together using the tips of your fingers until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs (no dry bits). Set aside.

• In a bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating very well between each. Scrape down the sides and beat a couple more minutes until very fluffy. Drizzle in olive oil, then add half the flour followed by half the milk then the remaining flour and remaining milk. Spoon into the cake tin.

• Arrange the plums on the top of the cake batter, cut side facing up, and then sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 35-40 minted until a skewer inserted into the middle removes clean.

Roasted Squash with Sage and Brown Butter

This is a classic combination that possibly doesn’t need another recipe, but it’s always good to have a reminder. I like to keep it simple, using my favourite squash at this time of the year, the sunshine kabocha, leaving the skin on for texture, flavour and nutrition (and, yes, it makes it easier too!). Good varietals for cooking with skin-on are kabocha, delicate and acorn. If you are using butternut you will have to peel it.

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the squash well and trim off any bit of skin that are ‘crusty’ or unappealing. Cut in half, remove the seeds and slice into wedges a little less than an inch thick. Place on a baking tray, coat in olive oil and a good pinch of salt and bake until soft and golden brown- about 30-40 minutes give or take.

For the sage brown butter, get a branch of sage leaves and remove the leaves, for a stick of butter, you’ll want no more than about 10 or so leaves. In a small saucepan, place the butter (salted) and melt slowly lover low-medium heat. When the butter is starting to foam, add the sage, it might sputter a little. cook until the sage leaves turn crispy and the butter is a deep dark brown- keep an eye on it, it goes from too light to burnt quite quickly and it can be difficult to tell if it is frothy. If the sage is ready before the butter is brown, remove to plate while you finish the butter. I find it easiest to tell if it is ready by smell- it should smell sweet and rich and a little nutty, its one of the best smells ever. Have a bowl at the ready to pour the butter into the second it is ready so that is doesn’t continue to cook and burn.

Serve the squash on a platter with the brown butter and sage poured over the top. Plenty of black pepper is always good on top.

My Favourite way to Cook Beets at This Time of the Year

Beets might be top of my list of vegetables that fall victim to fridge neglect. I always have great intentions but if I don’t cook them immediately after bringing them home, they often sit for a looong time in the bottom of the fridge. Here is my favourite, very passive way to cook them so that I can just chop them through a salad, slice on a sandwich or grate into a soup throughout the week.

Trim the greens from a bunch of beets, saving them for another use. Wash the beets well and place in a deep pan large enough to just comfortably hold them- I love to use a small loaf pan for this if I’m not cooking many. sprinkle over a few tablespoons of vinegar Sherry is ideal but red or white wine or even balsamic are good too. Add enough water to come about half way up the beets and sprinkle a generous pinch or two of salt over everything. cover tightly with foil and place in a 400F oven for about an hour, give or take 10 minutes depending on the size of the beets until they can easily be pierced through the center with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and store until ready to use. If you know you are going to eat them sliced or in a salad, it is even better if you cut them and season with a little salt, splash more vinegar and some olive oil while they are still a little warm.

Ways to use: toss dressed with a little goat cheese and soft herbs such as chervil, dill, tarragon, or mint, top with toasted walnuts if you like; slice into round and use on a focaccia sandwich with hummus, greens and tasted hazelnuts; grate and throw into a soup with French lentils or potato; use in a salad with some smoked trout, dill and creamy dressing; make a sauce with a dollop of sour cream, and a spoonful each of mustard and horseradish and serve alongside a steak and simply dressed beets; make a beet tzatziki by grating beet through greek yoghurt with grated garlic and mint, season to taste.

Blackbean Soup

I have a whole newsletter/diatribe coming soon about making soup how you don’t need a recipe to make soup, but just to contradict myself in advance, here is a recipe for soup. And it’s good. A note on bay leaves: NOT ALL BAY LEAVES ARE CREATED EQUAL! I’m not generally into needing have the most expensive spices out there, but when it comes to bay leaves, good quality ones make a huge difference. If you have fresh, great, use them. If you, like me, 99% of the time have to use dried bay leaves, Daphne and Chloe bay leaves are worth every penny, in my opinion. I use 1 of these for every 3 regular dried bay leaves and they taste fresh and alive, not like a grandmothers closet. That’s my cents about that.

about 2 cups dried black beans, soaked over night and cooked with an onion and a bay leaf until soft (see my directions for cooking beans here). Alternately use 2 or 3 tins of black beans and some vegetable stock.

1 or 2 peppers- I used a red bell pepper (capsicum) and a Jimmy Nardello, but green peppers such as poblano or hatch are also great.

olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

1 stick of celery

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly chopped

about 2 tsp each ground cumin and corriander

about a tsp smoked paprika

a good pinch cinnamon

1 bay leaf (see note above)

2 tomatoes

a large handful of greens, I take this opportunity to use any random greens such as radish or turnip tops, but some kale or chard is good too (and completely optional)

Optional to serve: corn tortillas (if you have time, I recommend melting some grated cheese on them), crema/sour cream/Greek yoghurt, cilantro and finely chopped onion, lime (any, all or none of these)

• If you have a gas flame, grill the peppers over the open flame until black and blistered. Alternately, place in the over until the grill element, turning until black all over. Immediately place into a small sealed container or a plastic bag and leave to sweat until cool enough to handle. Once cooled, remove the seeds and skin as much as you can, it’s ok if there are little bits left on, just do not rinse until water.

• Meanwhile, heat a heavy based pan over medium heat, add a good lug of oil to coat the bottom followed by the onions and a good pinch of salt. stir and then cook slowly for about 10-15 minus until translucent. Add the garlic followed by the spices and stir for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato and cook for a further 10 minus until the tomato is broken down. Add the peeled peppers and the greens, stir for a minute then add the beans with enough cooking liquid to just cover them. Season well with salt and leave to cook for 30 or so minutes until the flavors have come together, stirring from time to time to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.

• Blend (I cannot recommend a stick blender enough for making soup) and taste for seasoning. Add a little more bean cooking liquid too thin as needed.

• If using, serve with a good squeeze of lime juice, a dollop of crema, cilantro and onion and some warm tortillas (I melted some cheese on mine, highly recommend)