From our archives: Plum sundaes

By Rick Nelson

One steadfast rule for farmers market shoppers: Follow the crowds. Last Saturday at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, shoppers were standing three and four deep at the Plum Crazy Orchard stand, and owner Dick Brown was busy keeping his table stocked with colorful Waneta and Toka plums. It took several minutes to work my way to the front of the stand, where I finally got a good look at what the fuss was all about. It was well worth the wait. The orchard's plums -- cherry streaked with gold, almost the color of the heirloom tomatoes I spied further down the aisle -- were gorgeous, and the scent was amazing.

The bad news is that all this goodness is quickly on its way out, as the growing season at this Buffalo, Minn. orchard is coming to a close. "We might have some next week, but it won't be much," Brown said. I purchased a carton of Tokas, in part because a sign proclaimed them "Small in size, big flavor" (confirmed by a quick bite on the walk back to the car). As I was leaving, Dick handed me a small set of helpful instructions: "Plums, like other stone fruit, continue to ripen off the vine," it said. "They ripen at room temperature. Refrigeration (appx. 38 to 40 deg. F.) will slow down the ripening process. In general, plums will get darker in color, softer and sweeter as they ripen. The flesh is sweet and juicy while the skin is slightly tart, for a delightful sweet-tart combination. Like bananas, your individual taste may run from slightly on the green side to dead ripe." Good to know.

Back home, I placed Brown's handiwork in a bowl on the windowsill. After enjoying a few straight up, my baking-obsessed mind began to wonder: How could I best use them? A tart? A crisp? Then I recalled a story we published almost 10 years ago, when we asked four Twin Cities pastry chefs to create sundae recipes for Taste readers.

Joan Ida, who was pastry chef at Goodfellow's at the time, came up with a fantastic solution, one that incorporated roasted plums, cajeta (a Mexican caramelized syrup) and easy-to-make caramel-walnut cookies. What a combination, and what a marvelous dessert. (Cheater advice: If you're cramped, time-wise, devote your energy to roasting the plums and baking the cookies; most Mexican supermarkets stock several decent cajeta options, and you can also substitute a commercially produced caramel sauce, with similar results).

Goodfellow's is gone, and Ida is now running the show at Porter & Frye in Minneapolis. But this recipe lives on. Give it a shot, and share your thoughts. Here's the original story, followed by the recipe:

For Joan Ida, pastry chef at Goodfellow's, a late-summer sundae suggested plums, caramel and cookies.

Walnuts were added to complement the intense plum flavor, and cajeta (kah-HAY-tah), a dark and richly thick syrup of caramelized sugar and goat's milk used in Mexican and South American cooking, balanced the whole thing out. And the cookie? Because Goodfellow's is housed in the art deco interior of the former Forum Cafeteria, Ida occasionally puts a retro dessert - a peach soda or a baby banana split - on her menu as an homage to the late great Forum. And when she does, she always includes one of her mother's cookie recipes.

"I have to," said Ida, who has been running the restaurant's pastry department for three years, "because no one makes better cookies than my mom."

ROASTED PLUM, WALNUT AND CAJETA SUNDAES

Makes 4 servings.

Note: From Joan Ida at Goodfellow's. Ida recommends Haagen-Dazs Pralines and Cream ice cream, available at most supermarkets. Goat's milk is available at most natural food co-ops. .

4 Black Beauty plums, pitted and quartered

3/4 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice

3/4 c. brown sugar

For cajeta:

2 c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. corn syrup

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. goat's milk

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 c. brown sugar, divided

1 c. flour

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For sundaes:

2 pints praline ice cream

1 c. heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Directions

To prepare roasted plums: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange plums in a nonreactive baking pan. Add orange juice and toss in 3/4 cup brown sugar. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until juice bubbles and plums soften. Cool and reserve.

To prepare caramel nut cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add flour, mixing until just combined. Pat mixture into a 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. In a large bowl, combine eggs, remaining 1 cup brown sugar, vanilla extract and walnuts. Pour over crust, reduce oven to 275 degrees and bake 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven to a wire rack, cool completely and cut into serving slices. Reserve.