Poaching stone fruits

I’ve made this dish of poached plums with elderflower cordial quite a few times over the summer, and the kids love it. I love poaching stone fruits when they’re cheap and plentiful. It’s also a great way of using up soft and squishy fruit languishing in the bowl that no one will eat. Do you have that problem in your house, too?

The skins of the plums tend to blister and peel away when I cook them, revealing the vibrant flesh inside. Here, I’ve garnished the plums with the delicate purple mint flowers from my herb garden.

I used blood plums for this recipe because I love the sweet, dark red fruit, but you can use any plum you like. Did you know that there are more than ten different plum varieties grown in Australia? We’re lucky to be able to eat them here from December through to May. The dwarf ruby blood plum is one of my favourites. The amber jewel plum is a pretty heart shape. The moyer and d’agen varieties, also known as sugar plums, are small and oval-shaped, and very sweet.

Poached plums for dessert or breakfast

Poached plums make a beautiful dessert with yoghurt, ice cream or custard. Serve the syrup in a pretty glass and drizzle it over the ice cream. Poached plums are are a delicious served for breakfast with overnight oats or porridge.

Elderflower

Driving along the back roads of the Southern Highlands over the summer holidays, I stopped by the roadside to pick some elderflower blooms to make elderflower cordial. The masses of tiny white flowers hanging in sprays will develop into purple elderberries later in the summer.

These aromatic flowers have been used in kitchens since Roman times. Most of the species found in Australia were garden species that have become roadside weeds. Indigenous species grow on the edge of rainforests in NSW and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Elderflowers have a subtle aroma that can be infused easily into liquids.

It’s easy to make your own elderflower cordial – if you know where to find some blooms (although a weed, I’ve not had much success growing it at home).

Elderflower cordial

Elderflower cordial is readily available at most supermarkets. I think eldflerlower would work well with other stone fruits, such as peaches, nectarines and apricots, too. Here’s a recipe to make your own elderflower cordial. It’s lovely accompaniment to gin and soda, too!

Best wishes,

Amanda

PS: If you’ve tried these Poached plums with elderflower or any other recipe on At Amanda’s Table, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. If you’d like to read more, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter for stories, recipes and tips for simple, nutritious meals.

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