Summer Fling with Plum Cake, Watermelon Salad
Plums in custard and pastry, from an old German recipe, and a sprightly updated watermelon Waldorf salad
After I load up on a ridiculous amount of summer fruit at the market and grocery,I dig deep into my ancient recipe files to find favorite summer fruit recipes. This time I come up with two.
One is for German Plum Cake or Zwetschgen Kuchen. While living in Germany I fell in love with this incredible recipe, which every German baker displays in the window. Although simple, it is a unique way to showcase plums. It is traditionally made with the tiny prune plums called zwetschgen in German. But you can use any variety of plums or even peaches. When using plums for this recipe, the coloring from the red skins runs into the custard, turning the surface of the cake a beautiful pink when it's baked.
My other favorite summer recipe is for a refreshing Watermelon Waldorf Salad, which has a clear dressing instead of mayonnaise. I hope these recipes become your personal favorites this summer.
–By Chef Steve Petusevsky
This cake is traditionally made with the tiny prune plums called zwetschgen in German, but you can use any variety of plums or even peaches.
Try this summery salad for your Fourth of July picnic. You won’t miss the mayonnaise dressing at all.
