Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze – David Lebovitz

One of the blogs I visit frequently is David Lebovitz’s Paris based site.  I went to University in Paris and I still find it to be the most charming city in Europe.  Yes, it’s true, Parisians work in mysterious ways and it can take you a lifetime to finally get clued up on all the intricate do’s and don’ts (I gave up after 4 years) but the wealth of culture to be found is incredible.   Since I have no plans to move back to the Paris in this lifetime, it’s nice to be able to live vicariously through David.

I like that his site gives me access to a professional chef’s experience, recipes, tips and adventures.  There are so many great food blogs out there.  The overwhelming majority of which are run by enthusiastic amateurs and a lot of them are really charming but really,  who wants to learn from a novice?  David Lebovitz worked at Chez Panisse for 13 years!  He is someone I want to learn from.

Plum “Sorbet”

I had all these plums that had been languishing at the bottom of my mothers fridge and had started to go over.  

What to make?  Upside down cake? Some sort of pastry.  More jam?  All those things include heat – it’s too hot to even momentarily contemplate adding more heat.  So,  I went trawling through the internet and found this link for plum sorbet and away I went.

First blitz the plums with sugar.  Ratio of 2 cups quartered plums to 1/4 cup sugar. 

Then pass the puree through a sieve to retain all the peel.  

Add about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  And a good glug of some kind of alcohol.  I used a Cassis liquor that I found lurking in the back of one of my mother’s cabinets but a brandy would be good too.  It helps with the flavor and means the ice crystals will be much smaller.  

At this point up-end the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream and press – start!  25 minutes later you will have a simple and refreshing sorbet.  

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, don’t worry!  Just put the mix in the freezer and take it out every couple of hours or so and beat it for half a minute with electric beaters and then replace in the freezer.  This will break up the ice crystals so you have a smoother sorbet.  

The other thing you could do is make a granita but I didn’t think about that this time.  It’s even easier than a sorbet because the granita celebrates ice formation rather than trying to annihilate it.  You simply put the puree in a shallow tray.  What you are looking for here is maximum surface area.  Then as ice crystals start to form, gently drag the ice clinging to the side towards the center with a fork.  Do that a few times until it sets.  It is SO refreshing!  I love a coffee granita at the end of a meal!  Or a lemon one as a palate cleanser (just in case you ever serve up a food marathon). 

But this post is about plum sorbet.  (My mind wanders at the endless possibilities you see)  Serve the sorbet in chilled bowls. 

Now, just so you are not disappointed – this isn’t a Michelin style David Everitt-Matthias type sorbet.  It’s a down to earth and easy.  Come on!  There wasn’t even a sugar syrup or glucose or citric acid.  It is however, the perfect way to use up and enjoy ailing fruit.  

Minimum effort for maximum reward ♥