Stewed Plums, Whipped Yoghurt, Mint & Granola from Julius Roberts
From his wonderful new book, ‘
The Farm Table’, Julius Roberts - the Dorset-based cook, farmer & gardener (who's
instagram page is wildly popular), has kindly shared two heartening & delicious autumn recipes for the perfect weekend lunch or cosy supper at home…
serves 6
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80g quality granola or pistachios
30g butter
6–10 plums, depending on size, halved and destoned
20g golden caster sugar
60ml Madeira, brandy or sweet sherry
280ml double cream
1–2 tbsp runny honey
350ml natural yoghurt
a couple of sprigs of fresh mint
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Preheat your oven to 160°C fan. If using pistachios, pour them into a tray or ovenproof pan and cook for about 10–15 minutes max, until they are toasted and crunchy but not burnt. Set a timer – I always forget.
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Put a wide frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the butter. When it begins to foam, swirl it around, then add the plums, cut side down. Ideally, they should fill the pan. Sprinkle over the sugar and let it gently sizzle so that the plums release their juice, then pour in the Madeira. A lovely thick and unctuous sauce should slowly be created. Before the plums get too soft, turn them over to cook the other side. The ideal is to end up with a beautiful sauce and plums that still hold their shape but are soft and delicious. So don’t cook them for too long, and add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick. You need enough for each person to get a spoonful.
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While the plums are cooking, pour the cream into a large bowl. Whip it until it is light and voluptuous but still has a nice movement to it. Whipping cream perfectly is an art, taking it far enough to create that luxurious feel, but not so far that it begins to solidify. When ready, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of honey and add the yoghurt. Gently fold together and have a taste; you can add a touch more honey if you like, but don’t overdo it.
Finally, crush the toasted pistachios, if using, and roughly chop the mint leaves. Spoon a generous dollop of the cream into a bowl and make a crater in the middle. Add two or three warm plum halves and a spoon of the sauce, then top with the granola or pistachios and mint.
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You can make a lot of this ahead; just slightly underdo the plums so that you can warm them up again without overcooking them. But the active ingredients in the yoghurt will begin to work on the cream if left too long, so I would recommend making that more or less in the moment.
