Sylvia’s Plum Bruschetta with Crème Fraiche

Sylvia's Plum Bruschetta Crème Fraiche

Looking for new and easy ways to use ripe stone fruits from the orchard this season? Try this recipe I shared on ABC Radio Tasmania Afternoons Friday 19 January 2024 whilst chatting about food and cooking with the delightful John O’Hara. This recipe for a mouth-wateringly simple dessert (that I have finally written) takes me back to my childhood days cooking with my late grandmother. This is an easy summer dessert when stone fruits are plentiful and the harvest basket is overflowing with fresh deliciousness. My grandmother had an amazing backyard orchard and I have fond and evocative memories of helping her pick ripe fruits with baskets and buckets filled beyond the brim. I dedicate this recipe to her. When making this style of dessert she used a light rye sourdough bread lavishly spread with butter and dusted with sugar. Use a gluten free alternative if needed. I also baked a similar dessert at our restaurant at The Peacock Inn in Chelsworth, Suffolk and still bake it to this day when our lovely neighbours supply us with sensational surplus from their backyard orchard. I hope you enjoy this simple summer treat. Taste. Experiment. Enjoy! Sylvia xx

INGREDIENTS   Serves 4
4 slices sourdough or gluten free bread cut into 1.5-2cm slices for the Bruschetta (pron. bru-sketta) 🙂
Soft unsalted butter
4-5 ripe plums or other stone fruit, stones removed cut into quarters
30-40g vanilla caster sugar or 50:50 mix of caster sugar and a floral honey
1-2 teaspoons brandy or orange juice (optional)
2-3 teaspoons orange zest
Extra sugar to dust before baking
Baking tray lined with baking paper
To serve: Dollop cream, Crème fraîche, vanilla or cinnamon whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream
Preheat oven to 180˚C

METHOD

  • First make a plum compote by placing the plum quarters into a glass bowl with the sugar, brandy or orange juice if using, and orange zest. Mix well to coat. Set aside to macerate for about an hour whilst preparing the bread. Do not refrigerate.
  • Cut the base crust from the bread slices as it will bake too hard.
  • Butter both sides of the slices and place on the baking tray.
  • Place the plum compote on top of each bread slice – mix cut side up and cut side down as in the photo above. 🙂 Pour over any syrup that has collected in the bowl.
  • Give the plums an extra dusting of vanilla caster sugar then place in the preheated oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Place on serving plates and serve with a dollop of cream, crème fraîche or any of the other suggestions above.
  • A few ingredients with fresh summer stone fruits make for an easy luscious summer dessert. Enjoy! Sylvia xx

Use any similar stone fruit such as apricots, nectarines and even peaches to create this simple summer treat and share the recipe with your family and friends.

Crème fraîche is French for “fresh cream” that has a live culture added to it to slightly acidify/sour and thicken it. Popular in Europe it is used in sweet and savoury dishes and served with fruit and other such desserts and pastries. Crème fraîche is less sour than Sour Cream which is used mainly for savoury dishes.

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