No, these aren't tiny yellow tomatoes, rather these little canary colored orbs are tiny plums called Mirabelle plums. A very ladylike name for a plum so demure in appearance and coquettish in flavor.Now according to Wikipedia they have great importance in the French region of Lorraine as this area has the perfect growth climates for the plum to fruit in. In fact "[since] 1996 the mirabelle de Lorraine has been recognized and promoted by the EU as a high-quality regional product, with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This label guarantees a minimum fruit size (22mm) and sugar content, and can only be used in a specific geographical zone of production."
However, someone at some time smuggled a few seeds out. The ones you see pictured came from a co-worker's garden which is located in Sacramento. So the EU did not protect it just so well.
How do they taste? Even before breaking the skin these plums are extremely fragrant to the point that even a day after driving with them for just 30 minutes my car still soaked in their scent. I would describe the scent as definitely that of a plum, but dainty, almost whimsical like it's trying to tickle your nose. A fairy scented plum.
The flavor isn't very plummy but rather tart from the skin and the flesh extremely sweet. It's like the fruit is meant to be a study in tastes. Often I can only eat one or two before I have to stop from sugar overload. However this sweetness lends itself well to jam to distilled spirits.
Now outside of jam and booze, if you've experienced these plums how do you use them? I ask because I have a zillion and could use some ideas. ;)
Oooo they look like Dolly plums... have you had those?! Best plum ever! I think they are around in July? You should try them!
ReplyDeleteOne idea: check out my blog- plum cake. These mirabelles look wonderful; I would have had plum juice all over the car before I got home!
ReplyDeleteOh yum! I have never seen those before. They look fantastic!
ReplyDeletethose plums look so good! would yellow plums make good jam? I love plum jam. My grandparents used to make it with these thumb-sized plums from the end of their 1/2 mile dirt road by their house, and it was the best.
ReplyDeleteOh, you are sooooooooooooo lucky. Mirabelles are such a lovely fruit. They make extraordinary jam and they're very, very good in a custard-based tart -- one in which they and the custard bake together (not a pastry cream tart). They're delicious just eaten out of hand, but they are even more special baked.
ReplyDeleteIf you really have a ton of them, you can follow the French tradition of make mirabelle eau de vie.
Enjoy!!
garrett, i love your prose. 'a fairy scented plum.' hilarious. thanks for brightening my boring workday.
ReplyDeleteI second the idea of sweet, tangy plum based custardy bakes!
ReplyDeletemmmmmmm.....sounds delish. I don't have nearly the epicurean gift that you do, but what about plums flambee with fresh cream custard?? I'm imagining warm, fragrant fleshy golden plums with carmelized demerara sugar and some nice rum and some custard with fresh vanilla grated into it. Also found this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hollys-peach-flambe-cheesecake-recipe/index.html. Not so sure about the weird snickerdoodle crust though.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to find these plums as soon as I get back to the states. YUM. :-D
Aime, I bet you're talking about sand plums. Their more-tart-than-sweet flavor makes fantastic jelly, but I have many sweaty memories of standing in the ditch picking them!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I like trying new fruits I've never had before. Here's an aside...I like your essays, especially the ones about kumquats. I tried your candied kumquat recipe via Ravenouscouple.blogspot.com, who got it from Simply Recipes. I had the candied kumquats with pork chops tonight and they were pretty awesome. Your recipe has reached a lot of people and it can all be traced back to you.
ReplyDeletePlum dumplings...
ReplyDeleteI usually use the Italian prune plums for dumplings but I bet these would work.
You halve and pit the plums, add some sugar and maybe cinnamon or cardamom (just a tiny amount) and let them sit. Make a sweet dough like you'd use for Grandma's German coffee cake.
Make packets out of the dough with a couple of plums inside and bake or steam until cooked. I usually steam ours.
We serve it with melted butter and brown sugar on top, but you could make something fancier if you like.
And, if these are like Italian prune plums at all, they freeze.
Wash, halve, pit and freeze in a vacuum-packed bag. You can use regular ziploc and a straw to get the air out if you want to do it on a college budget.
Oh! Second thought! Creme brulee?
ReplyDeleteOverly sweet friut-SUCH PROBLEMS! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a trick where I combine/cook (Over-sweet) fruit with frozen cranberries. I use this combination for both compotes and fruit crumbles.
By FAR my fav is a fruit crumble served w/ vanilla ice cream. In my crumbles I use Old Fashioned Oats, butter, cinnamon and light brown sugar for the topping. If you find the fruit is too juicy, add a few tablespoons of uncooked tapioca to the fruit before putting in oven. This not only soaks up the excess moisture but adds a certan richness/creaminess to the texture of the fruit.
P.S. This also works extremely well w/ all those excess apples at the end of the season too.
last year we roasted them with pork and we also made a barbeque chicken with them. I don't have the recipes on the blog but I am sure you could figure it out.
ReplyDeletehello garrett, i wanted to offer an idea along with the other wonderful ones posted here. i am not familiar with mirabelle plums and someone mentioned using them in a cobbler, which i think sounds delightful. for some reason i was thinking they could also be used to make a relish...hey if it works with mangoes...
ReplyDeleteI love those, but I always eat them out of hand. I can imagine, though, that a compote with a bit of spice a some lemon juice for tang would be delighful....especially in a trifle, fool, or over ice cream.
ReplyDeletei'm sorry to post again, but i am mentally slapping my forehead in disgust that i didn't think of this sooner...granitas!
ReplyDeleteI just went "ooh! Mirabelles!" when I saw the pic. Definitely an absolute favorite of mine! Short bread dough, almond cream and mirabelles halves :)
ReplyDeleteplum cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteNice prose! Elegant, charming, quirky. Love it :)
ReplyDeleteNow, the mirabelles - we've jammed 6lb and it's setting right now. The flavour is...not like plum. It's zingy and tangy and it is a clear golden colour.
Jelly may be the way to go with the remaining fruit as the skins seem a tad coarse.
Amazingly this old tree has never produced more than a handful of fruit. What a treat for this year!
Hi Garrett,
ReplyDeleteI realize it's way after the fact, but seeing as it is plum season again, my two cents: there is the clafoutis, there is the tart, there are the crisps, cobblers and crumbles. There is the jam (spiced or not). But there is also (mmm) plum chutney. You can continue to enjoy the fruit all year long...I just finished writing about my own plum glut here in the south of France, and this year's solution was a tangy cranberry and maple syrup, spiced chutney...
According to some online sources Mirabelle trees produce on;y every OTHER year. I was lucky enough to find a loaded tree near a local church cemetery. I called & got permission to harvest. Made some wonderful preserves, including a dense, smooth "paste" similar to guava paste. It can be cut into small cubes & served with Manchego cheese for a real treat!
ReplyDeleteMirabelle chutney; mirabelle clafoutis; mirabelle galettes; roasted mirabelles over ice-cream; mirabelle fool; stuffed into a pork loin with sage, breadcrumbs and sweet wine; mirabelle pavlova... (can you tell we have a tree in a neighbour's garden and a LOT of mirabelles??) ;o)
ReplyDelete