Plum Gorgeous by Romney Steele

Title:  Plum Gorgeous

Author:  Romney Steele

Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing

Publication Date:  19 July 2011

Pages:  193

Source:  NetGalley

ISBN:  9781449402402

My Review

In Romney Steele's own words, she describes this book as, "Plum Gorgeous is surely a book about the sensuous and enchanting nature of fruit and what to do with it in the kitchen.  But, more than that, it's about the pleasures and joys of the table..."

This Beautiful book has so many mouth watering recipes.  Not only are there great recipes using plums, but there are numerous other fruit recipes included.  Some of the fruits included are Plums(of course), Apples, Apricots, Oranges, Lemons, Quince, Cherries, Peaches, Figs, Pears, Rhubarb, etc.

The recipes that I want to try are :  1.  Rasberry, Rhubarb Jam, 2.  Spiced Plums, 3. Cherry Clafoutis, 4.  Fresh Peach Gelato, 5.  Rustic Fruit Gallette, 6.  Plum Gorgeous Tart, 7.  Slow cooked Apple Butter, 8.  French Apple Tart, 9.  Honey lime Peaches with Creme Fraiche, 10.  Fig Relish and Ham Sandwiches, and last but certainly not least, 11.  Blenheim Apricot Jam(part of the inspiration behind the book)  Actually those are just a few of the wonderful treats inside this book.  There are many more recipes that sound equally delicious.

It was important to Romney Steele to write a Beautiful book about food, and she certainly has achieved that with this cookbook.  She encourages the cooks to play with the recipes and make them their own.  Part of her inspiration came from her Uncle Kaffe Fassett.  He is famous for his beautiful books and works of art in the knitting and Quilting world.  In Plum gorgeous, I believe Romney Steele has managed to give us the same beauty with fruit that Kaffe Fassett gives us with textiles.  I highly recommend this book especially for the upcoming fall season and the bounty of fruit that comes with it.

Plum Blackberry Sorbet

1# plums, pitted and chopped

1 cup blackberries or black currants

1/2 cup sugar

1TBS Cassis

1 tsp lemon juice

Simmer plums with blackberries, sugar and about 1/4 cup water in small saucepan over low heat until soft and pulpy, about 5-10 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then puree and press through a seive to remove seeds and skin.  You should have about 2 cups puree.  Stir in the Cassis and lemon juice to taste.  Chill thouroughly, then churn in an ice cream freezer.  Freeze until hardened, about 1 hour.