2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - L is for Layered meringue pavlova with Flavor King plums

Heating the sugar before you make meringue? A new idea, but turned out very well:

No recipe for this one.... yet. You'll have to wait till this book is out as I was testing out the pav recipe from there before it's printed. You heat the sugar in the oven till it goes golden at the edges then mix it into the whipped egg whites - not so different from Italian meringue really. Adds a slight caramelised flavour & look - nice!

You make 3 meringues and layer them up with whipped vanilla cream and fruit. I did it here in January for a lunch party with South African Flavor King plums which were in season at the time - they're a cross between plums and apricots and very morish!

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Zwetschgenkuchen - German plum cake

Zwetschgenkuchen - German plum cake from this recipe using South African Flavor King plums - I think flavorking should be  a verb - the 2014 equivalent of 'twerking'. When your trying out/ inventing new recipes you're 'flavorking'!
Flavor King plums taste like a cross between plums and apricots and have a bubble gum type flavour - so nice, so morish!

 It was interesting cooking at the South African fruit meal for MsMarmitelover then following via twitter her trip to South Africa where the fruit is grown:

25 year + investment! Promise of high returns, but also such a risky business - who knows what demand and the market in general is going to be like in 25 years? They are taking a leap!
Also so many other factors involved - exchange rates, seasonality: the South African stone fruit season is in the UK winter so we don't naturally think of buying plums, nectarines, peaches etc because for us they seem out of season at that time, whereas in fact they are peaking and so amazing! Add in that our fruit consumption is actually going down anyway, pest control, other stone fruit markets which could increase their yields (China, Australia, Chile etc) and it's a really tough business!

Pretty sad isn't it - 3 times more money spent on promoting vodka than fresh fruit? But also telling of our times. I have also been aware of this supermarket mark up of fruit and veg for the last few years - compare it with what we pay wholesale in the catering industry and you see why supermarkets are making such high returns. Along with that, however, is the high level of wastage which supermarkets have with fruit and veg - this is all incorporated into the high prices.

I liked the scientists' answer to the fruit fly problem though - isn't technology amazing!? 

From all of that.... to these:

Amazing to think of the industry behind the food you eat ain't it!?

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Vanilla poached plums

After much trial and error (and plum puree) I found the best way is to cut your plums into segments first (or halves if you prefer).

I make a sugar syrup first and thicken it - which you can do with either cornflour or arrowroot. Then remove from heat, scrape the seeds from a vanilla pod in to it, and leave the pod to infuse for ½ an hour.

Then re-heat thickened syrup, cut plums (firm ones are better - less likely to puree) and drop them in to the syrup and cook for around 5 minutes. Keep checking them - they overcook to a puree very easily. It is best to take them off the heat before they are cooked, as they carry on cooking while they cool down. Place in to large roasting tray to cool - the more more surface area they are in the quicker they will cool/ stop cooking.

Ideal served with panna cotta.

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