L’Shanah Tovah! It’s Rosh Hashanah and time to start the new year. As we cast aside our regrets, apologize for our mistakes and set new goals for the coming year we will celebrate the abundance of the season with sweet treats. Typically this has involved dipping apples, which we picked from a local orchard, into honey we purchased at the farmers market.
This year, however, we have not yet gone apple picking. I am too excited by the organic peaches and plums that the local farms are now selling. For this reason, I was very pleased to read about a new take on the Rosh Hashanah tradition (reprinted from the Chicago Tribune in my hometown newspaper). The author, Laura Frankel, suggested that it was perfectly acceptable to celebrate with another type of sweet fruit. Especially if it was one you could only get at this time of year .
Farm fresh peaches and plums for the new year treat
Lucky for me then. I had just purchased a quart of what my grandmother called Svechuan plums. I think you would identify them as prune plums. They are oblong and less juicy as well as more tart than regular round plums.They only are available in September and my grandmother used them to bake pies she called Svechuan Kuchen. I fondly remember sitting around the table with my extended family while we each had a slice or two of pie. Of course, my grandma always served it with ice cold freshly whipped cream.
So, now that I feel affirmed to expand the holiday tradition because of the author’s suggestion, I plan to bake a plum creation of my own – a Svechuan Buckle. I will probably throw in a peach and some raspberries from my own garden to make sure it is moist. And a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top will make it the perfect sweet dessert for our new year celebration.
If this photo made you wish you could share a piece with us, I included the recipe below. Enjoy!
Svechuan plum buckle all crisp and golden on top
themiddlegeneration 