If they are unavailable, other ripe plums will do for larger plums, use 3 to 5. Small and oval with skins that take on a purple-black color, they appear in markets in September and October. Note: This recipe is ideal with Italian plums, also known as prune plums. The recipe calls for Italian plums, but standard plums or pluots work just as well. When snowbound January or February comes along, the glories of plum season will be just a thaw away. After it's cooled, wrap the pan tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, pop it in the freezer and then forget about it for a few months. In the Thinking Ahead department, this is a dessert that was tailor-made for freezing. And baked plums are sweet and tart, making the flavor more complex and memorable than a hard-hitting sweet dessert." There are just four steps, most of which are one sentence long. There are only eight ingredients, all of which, except for plums, you probably already have in your kitchen. "The answer, I think, is that it's a nearly perfect recipe. "I've thought a lot about why this torte struck such a chord with people," wrote Hesser. ![]() ![]() In another example of the recipe's enduring appeal, requests for "plum cake" inundated editor Amanda Hesser when she was compiling suggestions for the 2021 update of "The Essential New York Times Cookbook" (Norton, $55). Burros first shared the plum torte recipe with Times readers in 1983, and it was so popular that she republished it on nearly a dozen occasions. In 1981, Burros joined the food staff at the Times and went on to have a long, influential career. It originated in 1962 with Lois Levine, who included it "Elegant But Easy," the cookbook she co-wrote with Marian Burros. The recipe's back story is as compelling as its tender, buttery texture. "But it tends to be a pretty expensive and nostalgic piece of fruit."Īlthough the torte is at its irresistible best when using Italian plums, standard-issue red plums and black plums - the juicier, the better - are wildly successful substitutes. "We've found some out of Canada in the past, and some growers in Washington and California," he said. Schlimme advised searching farmers market stands for locally grown varieties, and said that Wedge Co-op and Linden Hills Co-op in Minneapolis will likely have Italian plums on hand. I recently encountered bags of Michigan-cultivated beauties at Lunds & Byerlys. ![]() "Lots of farms are getting rid of anything that's atypical, or niche or unique, and replacing them with more highly sought-after, profitable fruit."īut scarce does not equal unobtainable. Paul, which supplies 450 stores in seven Midwestern states. "That's because there are fewer people growing them," said Matthew Schlimme, senior supply chain manager for Co-op Partners Warehouse in St. Sadly, this is a fruit that does not enjoy the universal availability of, say, Honeycrisp apples. In a cruel twist, Italian plums are also the recipe's weakness. Look for them to materialize sometime between Labor Day and Halloween. Also known as prune plums, they're oblong, with dark purple skins, and they're smaller than their more familiar supermarket counterparts. The recipe's secret weapon? Juice-laden, slightly tart Italian plums. When I learned how easy it is to prepare, I became a zealot. ![]() One heaping forkful later, I was a convert. It was bewitchingly fragrant and still slightly toasty from the oven. He's one of the most gifted and inspiring bakers in my friend circle, and last fall showed up on our screen porch bearing a gorgeous rendition of the torte. I'd never tasted - let alone baked - the dazzling plum torte from the New York Times, despite its firmly entrenched role in the national baking consciousness.įortunately, my pal John rectified that sorry situation.
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