Plums
Plums are juicy stone fruit available in a wide range of colors and flavors, from tart and firm to deeply sweet, eaten fresh out of hand or cooked into jams, sauces, and desserts.
How to buy
Choose plums that yield slightly to gentle pressure near the stem and have smooth, unblemished skin with a natural powdery bloom. A sweet fragrance at the stem end signals ripeness; rock-hard, odorless fruit will likely stay underwhelming even after a few days on the counter. Varieties range widely -- Italian or 'prune' plums are smaller, firmer, and freestone, great for baking, while larger Santa Rosa-type plums are juicier and better eaten fresh.
How to store
Ripen firm plums at room temperature in a paper bag for a day or two, then refrigerate, where they'll keep for about a week. Overripe plums bruise and bleed juice quickly, so check often once soft. Plums freeze well halved and pitted, and dried plums (prunes) keep for months at room temperature in a sealed container.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sweet-tart flavor that ranges from puckeringly tangy near the skin to honeyed and rich in the flesh, especially in fully ripe fruit. Cooking concentrates the sugars and deepens the color into a jammy, almost wine-like flavor, which is why plums are a favorite base for sauces and preserves.
- Texture
- Juicy and tender when ripe, with a firmer, sometimes tart skin that holds its shape well in baking. Underripe plums are notably firmer and more astringent; cooking softens the flesh into a soft, saucy texture.
- Aroma
- A sweet, slightly tangy fragrance that intensifies near the stem end as the fruit ripens, with darker-skinned varieties often carrying a deeper, winey perfume.
How to prepare
- Sliced raw — Cut into wedges for snacking or salads, skin left on for its tart contrast.
- Roasted or grilled — Halved and cooked until caramelized, often served with yogurt, cheese, or roasted meats.
- Stewed into compote — Simmered with sugar and sometimes spices into a thick, saucy topping.
- Baked into tarts and cakes — Sliced or halved and baked into pastry, where firmer varieties hold their shape well.
- Dried into prunes — Dehydrated to concentrate sugars into a chewy, intensely sweet dried fruit.
Classic dishes
Chinese
- Plum sauce — A sweet-tangy condiment made from plums, vinegar, and sugar, served with duck and spring rolls.
- Chinese spiced plum sauce dip — A tangy dipping sauce made from cooked plums, star anise, and sugar for roasted meats.
Japanese
- Umeboshi-style pickled plums — Small plums salt-cured into intensely sour, salty pickles eaten alongside rice.
French
- Plum tarte tatin — An upside-down caramelized plum tart baked with pastry on top, then inverted.
- Plum clafoutis — A baked custard-like dessert studded with halved plums.
- Prune-stuffed roast — Dried plums used to stuff pork loin, adding sweetness to the savory roast.
- Plum galette — A rustic, free-form tart filled with sliced plums.
German
- Plum cake (Pflaumenkuchen) — A yeasted or shortcrust cake topped with halved plums baked until jammy.
- Plum dumplings — Whole plums wrapped in potato dough, boiled, and rolled in buttered breadcrumbs.
- Slivovitz-marinated plums — Plums steeped in or paired with plum brandy, a traditional Central European preparation.
- Djuvec-style plum preserve — Thick plum butter (Powidl) spread on bread or used as a pastry filling in Central European baking.
British & Irish
- Damson jam — A tart plum variety cooked down with sugar into a classic British preserve.
- Plum chutney — Plums simmered with vinegar, sugar, and spices into a tangy preserve served with cold meats.
- Plum and almond crumble — Baked plums topped with a buttery crumble, often with almonds mixed in.
- Plum and ginger cake — A moist spiced cake studded with chopped plums and warm ginger.
Substitutions
- Nectarines — Use in baking or fresh salads; nectarines are less tart near the skin and have a firmer, less juicy texture.