Plum 'n' Apple Cider / Cider with Damson

To make 1 pint:

1 lb of apples
1/4 lb of plums, with the pits removed

Run the apples through a juicer. Skim off the foam.

Put the plums in a blender with a bit of the apple juice, and blend until as liquefied as possible. Stir into the apple juice.

Squeeze the juice through a cloth bag to strain. (Squeeze into a bowl or serving vessel).

Serve chilled.


First I want to address the cloth bag thing. You can use what is called a jelly bag, or cheesecloth. What I find works the best is just to make a large, rectangular bag with muslin or fine linen. It's cheap and reusable, you can make it as big or small as you need, and works much better than cheesecloth, which is too loose of a weave.

Other notes. I tried this with two different methods, using apples and plums that were all from the same batches. (Got at a farmers' market, so they were literally each from the same orchards).

I wanted to see if cooked fruit or raw fruit would yield a better flavor. The raw fruit won (which you could have guessed by the recipe above.) You can read all my notes on the matter below.

Ingredients: 1 lb. apples, cored. 1/4 lb. plums, pitted.

Raw method: Put apple through juicer. Skim foam. Liquefy plum in blender. Stir into apple juice. Strain.

Cooked method: Apple and plum in 1 cup water in pot. When water boils, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Apples will be soft. Liquefy in blender. Strain.

Results for raw method: Fast and easy. Easy to squeeze through the cloth. Only bits of plum skin remain from straining. Yields about 1 pint. Thick, but not as thick as the cooked. Sweeter than the cooked. Remained homogeneous after several hours. 12 hours later, slight separation. Top 3/4 was thick, bottom 1/4 was thin, but when drinking there was no discernible difference in flavor or texture between the two liquids.

Results for cooked method: Takes much longer to make, between cooking and cooling before straining. Difficult to squeeze through the cloth. Basically applesauce remains from straining. Thick, creamy texture--almost too thick, like it feels like it needs to be chewed. Yields just over 1 pint. Remained homogeneous after several hours. Mild applesauce flavor. Not as sweet. Can't taste the plums. 12 hours later, still homogeneous.

Maybe better flavor could be had from cooking after making juice, but there's no reason to bother because the raw version is already very good.

Pear Tart

In Eulalia!, the pear tart has a latticed top crust and is served with meadowcream.


1/2 cup flour (whole wheat pastry flour, white wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or oat flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
2 Tbls. cold water

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix flour, oats, and salt. Cut in the butter until it's crumbly. Stir in the ice water 1 tablespoonful at a time, then press together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze to make it harder.

Roll out the crust between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press into a pie or tart pan. Prick bottom with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes, then let cool completely.

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbls. flour
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbls. fruit juice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3 cups of pears, cored and sliced thinly

Reduce oven to 350 F.

Mix flour and sugar well. Stir in sour cream, fruit juice, and cloves. Mix well and spread most of it into the cooled crust, reserving about 1/3 cup. Lay pear slices over the cream, then spread the remaining cream on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crust is brown and cream is bubbling. Serve warm or cool.

Plum and Pear Pudding

2 Tbls. honey
3 or 4 ripe pears (whatever will fit in the pan)
1 cup chopped and pitted plums
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbls. molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white wheat flour
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch, round cake tin and line the bottom with paper.

Drizzle the honey in the bottom of the pan. Cut the pears in half and remove the cores. Arrange the pear halves with the cut side down, in a circle in the pan, leaving an open circle in the middle. Put the plums over the pears, concentrating them in the space in the middle and between the plums.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and molasses. Beat in the egg yolks on high speed until creamy.

Warm the egg whites in a double boiler until about body temperature. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form a mousse with soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the rest.

Fold in the flour, ginger, and salt. Beat the batter on medium speed for about a minute.

Pour the batter over the top of the fruit, spreading it out to cover the fruit.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. It will look juicy and bubbly, but the cake part will be firm to the touch.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate and remove the paper.

Osmunda's Greensap and Maple Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup nut milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Whisk together and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve with desserts!

Apple, Blackberry and Plum Crumble with Osmunda's Greensap and Maple Sauce

2 1/2 cups chopped plums, pitted
2 medium apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup spiced apple cider
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, or white wheat flour, or whole wheat flour
2 Tbls. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the fruit and place in an 8" baking pan or pie tin. Pour 1/4 cup cider over it.

Stir together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter and cream cheese until it is all crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, then sprinkle the remaining cider over the top.

Bake for 45-55 minutes. Serve with Osmunda's Greensap and Maple Sauce.

Sweet Arrowroot Sauce

This batch of sauce was made with homemade grape juice.

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbls. fruit juice, or to taste (or other sweet, non-dairy drink)
2 tsp. arrowroot powder
2 tsp. water

Mix 1/2 cup water and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil steadily for 5 minutes. Add fruit juice to taste. Reduce heat. In a cup, mix the arrowroot with 2 tsp water until smooth. Stir into the hot liquid. Increase heat to medium-high. Heat gently for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly as the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat once the sauce has boiled.

Plum Duff with Sweet Arrowroot Sauce

2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 cups pitted and quartered plums
1 cup flour, white wheat or whole wheat pastry
1/2 teaspoon salt


Warm the egg whites in a double boiler with a bit of the brown sugar, whisking. When they are warm, remove from heat and beat until stiff peaks form.

Beat egg yolks and a bit of the brown sugar. Cream in the rest of the sugar, cream cheese, and butter. Stir in plums. Fold in the egg whites.

Fold flour and salt into plum mixture. Pour into a well-greased 1-quart mold or bowl, and tie waxed paper loosely over the mold, or cover with foil scrunched around the edges. This is to prevent water from dripping onto the pudding when it condenses on the lid of the steamer. Place mold in steamer and steam for 1 hour or until pudding tests done.

If you don't have a steamer, you can place the mold in a large pot with water. The pot needs to be large enough that the pudding mold doesn't stick out the top. If it floats, that's fine, if not, use something underneath to stabilize it and keep it off the bottom of the pan. Place a well-fitting lid on top of the pan.

When done, remove from steamer and let cool slightly. Loosen the edges of the pudding by running a knife between the pudding and the bowl. Turn out onto the serving plate.

Serve with sweet arrowroot sauce, or other desired pudding sauce, or eat plain.

Wildgrape Woodland Pie

This is supposed to be served with quince and hazelnut sauce, but that recipe will wait for a time when I am able to get quinces.

Crust:
1 1/4 cup white wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
about 1/4 cup cold water

Filling:
2 1/2 cups seedless grapes, stems removed
1 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. flour
1/3 cup honey

Stir together flour and salt. Cut in cream cheese and butter until it forms fine crumbs. Sprinkle in some of the water and shake the mixture in the bowl. Remove large clumps that form and continue until it is mostly formed into large clumps. Press the clumps and the remaining crumbly dough together, forming a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Place the grapes in a pan over medium heat. Use a potato masher to gently mash the grapes and separate the skin and pulp. Let cook until about to simmer, and the colors change.

Meanwhile, stir together the honey, flour, and butter. Add the grapes when done, stirring until the butter is melted.

Roll out the crust onto a piece of plastic wrap, waxed paper, or thin cloth. Roll into a thin circle and place into a pie tin. Cut off excess around the edges. Pour the grape filling in. Use extra pie crust to create a crumbled topping.

Note: The filling bubbles and expands while baking. Leave some room for it so it doesn't overflow and burn.

Bake for 25 minutes (or until the crust is done).