Plum and Almond Cake

In Outcast of Redwall, this is described as being a dark, heavy cake with a fruity aroma, made with old cider and baked slow to keep it moist. I used applesauce instead of cider, because it's a good substitute for oil. You can switch the milk to apple cider if you want.

1 cup flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry, or oat flour)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk, nut milk, or apple juice/cider
1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 Tbls. powdered sugar

8 plums (any kind), halved and pitted

1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 Tbls. softened butter

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, egg, milk, honey, and almond extract. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, on top of the batter. 

In a bowl, combine the almonds, powdered sugar, and the butter and mix well. Sprinkle the topping over the cake.

Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Damson Jam

Makes just under 1 quart.

3 cup damson plums, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup honey or a mix of honey and pure maple syrup
1/3 cup water
2 Tbls. finely grated apple, raw and unpeeled

Combine the plums, honey, water and apple in saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, but maintain boil. Stir and mash with a potato masher for about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Pour into prepared jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (plus 10 for high altitude).

Damson Preserve

Not going into the entire process of canning right now. Look up tutorials if you need.

Makes just under 1 quart.

2 pounds damson plums, pitted and cut in half
1 cup honey or mixed honey and pure maple syrup
1/4 cup finely grated apple, raw and unpeeled

In a large pot, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring frequently. When it becomes soupy, increase heat and bring to a full boil.

Stir slowly as it cooks for 15 to 20 minutes. It will thicken and darken. Try to get it up to 220 F. (I gave up after it refused to get past about 205 F.)

Pour into prepared canning jars, giving at least 1/4 inch of headspace. Seal and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. (add 10 more minutes if at high elevation).

Apple and Damson Pie

Pearls of Lutra says this pie has crimped edges.

1 uncooked pie crust

3 cups chopped apples
3 cups chopped damson plums
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour (any kind)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients together. Place in pie crust, evening out the top. Crimp the edges of the crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Basic Pie Crust

For double crust:

3/4 cup butter
 2 cup flour (whole wheat, white wheat, whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt

For single crust:
6 Tbls. butter
1 cup flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry)
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp. salt

Cut the butter into the flour until it's crumbly and there's no dry powder.

Dissolve the salt into the water, then stir it into the flour and butter. Stir to make a soft dough.

Roll out on a piece of waxed paper dusted with flour. Use flour as necessary on top and bottom to prevent sticking. Roll to 1/8".

Dust the pie tin with flour. Use the waxed paper to flip the crust over into the pie tin. Trim the edges and fill in any holes, etc.

To bake the crust alone, bake at 350 F for 27 minutes. Otherwise, follow pie recipe instructions.

Blackcurrant Sauce

1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup blackcurrant preserves

Blend these together until smooth. Chill before serving.

Hot Arrowroot and Redcurrant Sauce

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup redcurrant jelly
2 tsp. arrowroot powder
2 tsp. water

Whisk together the 1/2 cup water and jelly over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the arrowroot and remaining water.  When the jelly mixture begins to boil, whisk the arrowroot mixture into it. Let boil for a few minutes, whisking, until the arrowroot is all dissolved, and the sauce becomes thick.

Serve warm.

Damson Crumble and Cream / Damson Crumble with Hot Arrowroot and Redcurrant Sauce

5 cups of damson plums, pitted and quartered
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour (any kind)

1 cup flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry, or oat flour)
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbls. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Stir together the plums, brown sugar, and flour. Pour into a 9" baking pan.

Stir together the flour, oats, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the honey, egg, and melted butter. Crumble by hand over the top of the fruit. Bake for 40 minutes.

Serve with cream or with hot arrowroot and redcurrant sauce.

Snacks

Here are some foods mentioned in the books, that don't really need a recipe written for them.

Basic snacks:
Apple and cheese
Barley toast spread with honey
Cinnamon toast
Dried fruits
Gooseberries and cream
Grapes and almonds - In Marlfox, these are wild, seeded grapes
Mixed fruits with honey
Nuts and berries
Oatcakes and cheese toasted together
Strawberries coated in honey
Toasted apples and cheese (roasted over a fire in Rakkety Tam)
Traveling fruit (I didn't write context for this, so maybe it's fruit you take with you traveling, or fruit you pick up while traveling.)
Lots of fruits are eaten off-hand like pears, apples, and berries.

Toppings:
Fresh cream
Maple syrup
Pouring cream (in US, single cream or half-and-half come closest)
Whipped cream

Jams and jellies: (I mention here the kind I've been able to buy at stores)
Blackberry jelly
Blackcurrant jam
Cherry preserve
Gooseberry jam
Raspberry preserve
Redcurrant jelly
Strawberry jam
Quince jam

Cheese: (again, the kinds available commercially, but you can make your own if desired)
Cheddar cheese
Goatsmilk cheese
White cheese
Yellow cheese

Drinks

Here are some drinks mentioned in the Redwall books, that don't really need recipes, or that can easily be purchased.

Teas: You can make these from scratch, but they are easily available tea bags.
Chamomile tea
Mint tea - this is served hot or cold, with honey in it. (The Bellmaker)
Mint and lavender water
Mint water
Rosehip tea

Milk
Buttermilk
Fresh milk
Goatsmilk
Milk with nutmeg grated on top

Cordial
Elderflower cordial (available as saft fläder at Ikea) - mix the syrup with water or carbonated water

Plum Slice with Blackcurrant Sauce

2 cups flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry, or oat flour)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup flour (as above)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups pureed plums
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. arrowroot powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.

Cut honey and butter into the flour until there is no more fine powder and it can be pressed together into dough. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

When the crust is almost done baking, beat together the flour, sugar, honey, baking powder, plums, eggs, and arrowroot.

Pour the filling over the hot crust, and bake for 25 more minutes.

Serve with blackcurrant sauce.

Crusty Plum Slice

2 cups flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry, or oat flour)
3 Tbls. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbls. butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk or nut milk

2 cups pureed plums
1 Tbls. honey
3 tsp. arrowroot powder

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly.

Beat the egg and combine with the milk, then stir into the flour until just moistened.

Take 1/3 of the dough, add a bunch of flour while kneading to make a soft, cohesive dough. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze until needed later.

Stir together the plums, honey, and arrowroot over medium heat and bring to a low boil.

Press the remaining 2/3 dough into a greased and floured 9" cake pan. Use as much flour as necessary to prevent sticking to your hands (sprinkling flour over the dough and onto your hands). Press onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides for about 1 inch.

When the plum filling is a deep plum color and thickened, pour into the pan over the crust.

Take the chilled dough and roll out thinly, on a floured sheet of waxed paper, big enough to cover the top. Use as much flour as necessary to prevent sticking to the rolling pin and waxed paper.

Use the paper to flip the dough over the top of the filling, and carefully peel off.

Seal the edges of the bottom and top crusts together, removing excess dough. Cut slits in the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Plums

Types of plums mentioned in Redwall books:

Plums: A nonspecific term which means you can use whatever plums you want! These red/purple-skinned, yellow-fleshed plums are what I see most often for sale in grocery stores.

Wikipedia

 Wild Plums: Also just use whatever plums you want. I like to use the term "wild" to mean I can mix different types of plum together. I once lived in a city where a very popular tree used for decoration along the streets gave off these little round plums. Totally edible, and they were rarely harvested as they didn't belong to specific properties (or maybe the landlords didn't care and the tenants didn't know they could harvest them). Just fell to the ground and rotted :( I harvested them. Anyway, in the theoretical world of Redwall, I imagine any type of plum can grow wildly.

www.paulwcarlson.com

Greengages:  Green-colored plums.  Wikipedia says: "Greengage fruit are identified by their round-oval shape and smooth-textured, pale green flesh; they are on average smaller than round plums ... The skin ranges in colour from green to yellowish, with a pale blue "blush" in some cultivars; ... [some] are reddish-purple due to crossbreeding with other plums. Greengages are grown in temperate areas and are known for the rich, confectionery flavour. They are considered to be among the finest dessert plums."

Wikipedia

Damsons: A plum with green/yellow flesh and dark blue/light blue skin. (Some of the light blue is wax-bloom--like a powder that can be rubbed off to reveal the darker skin). This is the kind that grows in my yard, so it's mostly what I use. Wikipedia says: "Damsons are relatively small plums with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves. ... The main characteristic of the damson is its distinctive rich flavour; unlike other plums it is both high in sugars and and highly astringent. The fruit of the damson can also be identified by its shape, which is usually ovoid and slightly pointed at one end, or pyriform; its smooth-textured yellow-green flesh; and its skin, which ranges from dark blue to indigo to near-black depending on the variety (other types of Prunus domestica can have purple, yellow or red skin)."

Wikipedia

Apple and Wild Plum Crumble / Apple and Greengage Crumble / Plum and Apple Crumble

In Mattimeo, this is said to have sweet acorn crumbs in it. I used almonds per my decision against using acorns in general.

Greengage plums can be used to make the apple and greengage crumble mentioned in Outcast of Redwall, which is served with honey thickly spread over it. 

"Plum and apple crumble" is mentioned somewhere. I didn't note the book because there were no specific ingredients or methods mentioned. I figure there's no need to make a different recipe for it.

Filling:
3 cups chopped apples

3 cups chopped plums

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Topping:
1/2 cup flour (whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, white wheat, or oat flour)

3/4 cup nut flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup butter, cold, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Stir together the apples, plums, brown sugar, and ginger. Put in a 9" baking dish. Stir the oats, flour, and nut flour together. Cut in the honey and butter until there are no more large chunks. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Acorns.

Acorns are technically edible for humans, but they take a lot of processing to remove the tannins to make them edible, and they still taste terrible. As a Native friend of mine said, you'd only eat acorns if you had nothing else.

So, while a lot of Redwall foods mention acorns as an ingredient, I'm going to use other nuts as substitutes.

Pink Iced Woodland Plum and Spice Cake

2 c. flour (white wheat, or whole wheat pastry)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. honey

1/4 c. cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk or nut milk

10 small plums, pitted
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir flour, baking powder, and spices in a mixing bowl. Add butter and honey. Beat on low speed until there are no more large chunks. Add eggs and milk, and beat for 2 minutes at a medium speed.

Cut plums into thin slices and fold into the batter.

Grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch baking pan (square or round). Spread batter into the pan.

Bake at 350°F 35 to 45 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden. Let cool, then turn out onto a serving plate.

Pink icing

1/2 cup light honey

2 Tbls. red fruit juice (cherry, beet, strawberry, raspberry, red wine, etc.)
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix honey and fruit juice in a saucepan. Heat to a rolling boil over medium heat. Keep boiling rapidly until it reaches 242 on a candy thermometer, or it forms a firm ball which holds its shape until pressed when dropped in cold water.

As mixture boils, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Pour the hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into the egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed. Add cinnamon, beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

quince pie

Quince Pie

2 cups quince purée*
1 large egg
1/2 c. milk or nut milk
1/2 c. cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmet

pastry for one pie


To make quince purée: Wipe off fruit with cloth, then cube. Steam in a little water until soft, then forcing through first a course, then a fine sieve.

Mix quince purée, egg, milk and cream. Mix sugar, salt, cornstarch and spices, then add to first mixture. Pour into unbaked pastry shell in bake for 50 to 6o minutes in a moderate (325 degree) oven.

Oat Crust for Pies and Tarts

It's kind of crumbly, so not good for pasties or anything that's eaten by hand.

3/4 cup flour (whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour, white wheat flour, nut flour, or oat flour)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Crust: Stir together the flour and oats. Cut in the butter until crumbly and there's no dry powder. Stir in the sour cream/yogurt.

Sprinkle flour in the pie tin, then dump the dough in and press it evenly onto the bottom and sides. (No need to refrigerate or roll out).

Bake until golden brown. Time is different depending on if it's baked alone or filled.

Hazelnut Cream Sauce

1 c. raw hazelnuts
2 c. water
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. apple juice

Put hazelnuts, water, and cornstarch in a blender. Blend about 1 minute until smooth. Place in saucepan; add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.

Apple and Celery Slice

It took me a long time to find out what exactly a "slice" is. After some Google research it still seemed kind of nebulous. A bar cookie? A cake type thing? A biscuit type thing? Seems like it's any kind of dessert/sweet food that has a crust, is baked in a rectangle, and is cut into small rectangles to serve. We don't have anything called a slice in the US so I'm just trying to figure it out.

2 1/2 cups white wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup milk or nut milk
2-3 apples, cored and sliced thinly
1 stick of celery, sliced thinly
2 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. honey
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tsp fennel seeds (or 1/2 seeds, 1/2 leaves)
1 tsp. arrowroot powder
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and the salt. Cut in butter and cream cheese till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Lightly beat egg yolk in a measuring cup. Add milk to make 2/3 cup liquid total; mix well.  Divide dough in half.  

On a floured surface, roll half the dough thinly to a large square; fit into and up sides of an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.  Trim excess.

Stir together the apples, celery, honey, sugar, nutmeg, fennel, and arrowroot powder. Place in the crust. 

Roll remaining dough to a large, thin square; place over apples. Trim excess and seal edges.  Beat egg white until frothy, and brush on top of pastry. Cut slits in the top for steam to escape. 

 Bake at 375 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Cherry Conserve

This is used as a filling for the Redwall Heroes Feast Cake from Outcast of Redwall.

Made with pie cherries, almonds, and walnuts

1 1/2 cups pitted cherries with juice
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp. arrowroot powder

Combine cherries and juice with the nuts and honey. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.

Put a small plate in the freezer.

Pour mixture into a large pot and stir in the arrowroot powder. Bring to a boil and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To test doneness, place a spoonful of the conserve on the frozen plate and let cool for 1 minute. Test for a thick, syrupy texture and taste. If it's too runny, continue to boil and try the cold plate test every few minutes.

When finished, pour the conserve into a sanitized glass jar. Place the lid on, then turn the jar upside down. Let rest for 5 minutes, then turn back over. Let the conserve cool and thicken for 10 or more hours before use.

Elderflower Cordial

I can't get my hands on some actual elderflowers, so this is one of those unfortunate incidents where I must turn to the food industry.

Saft fläder is exactly what elderflower cordial is, a drink concentrate made from elder flowers and sugar. For cordial this can be mixed at a 1:6 ratio with water. (2 Tbls. concentrate with 3/4 cup water). It can also be used as a flavoring or addition to other recipes. I'll be using it to make elderflower cream, for example. Unfortunately, I think I will need the real flowers to make elderflower bread.

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble

3 cups chopped rhubarb
2 medium apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
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

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the rhubarb, apple, maple syrup and nutmeg. Pour into a 8" baking pan or pie tin.

Stir together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until it is all crumby. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.


The key here is to use 100% pure maple syrup. It gives a fantastic result.

Cherry Soup

1 pound cherries, any variety, pits and stems removed
2 tablespoons apple juice, as desired for sweetness
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves
1 cup milk or nut milk

If using canned cherries, drain out and discard the syrup. If using fresh cherries and juice comes out from pitting them, use the juice!

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Be sure to blend it thoroughly. Strain the skins out if necessary.

Serve chilled.

The soup pictured above was made with equal amounts of fresh pie cherries and fresh black cherries. A beautiful color. The black cherries were sweet enough that apple juice was not needed, and the tartness of the pie cherries added a wonderful zing to the flavor.

Quince Tart

Crust:

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

Stir together the flour, oats, and salt. Cut in the butter until it's clumpy. Stir in the water. Put dough on a piece of plastic wrap and use the wrap to press it into a ball, then chill.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup quince jam
2/3 cup dried or candied fruit, finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together.

When the crust is firm to the touch, place the ball of dough in a pie tin. Use the plastic wrap as a shield to roll or press out the dough to shape the crust in the pie tin. Press the filling evenly into the crust.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I based this on a medieval recipe for a quince tart that called for quinces preserved in sugar. I figured that was pretty much the same as quince jam, which I found at a Mexican market, in the refrigerated section near the yogurt, pudding, and flan. Hopefully you can find some. I figured it was the closest to real quince I'd ever find.

For the dried fruit, I used whole raisins, whole currants, and chopped prunes.

Blueberry Scones

3/4 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tbls brown sugar or honey
1 egg
2 cups flour (white wheat, whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry)
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh, frozen, or dried)
sugar
cardamom

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the blueberries (if using frozen, bring them to room temperature and pat them dry). Add milk, brown sugar/honey, and egg, stirring just until moist.

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly until the dough is all together. Place on a baking sheet that is either greased, or lined with parchment. Form dough into an approximately 3/4" thick, 9-inch circle. Cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.

Sprinkle cardamom and sugar on top. Bake until golden, 18-20 minutes. Serve warm.