Plum Puffs Recipes

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm the milk until just warm to the touch (90 to 100 degrees F). Stir in the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine the flour, remaining granulated sugar and the kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine. Separate 1 of the eggs and set aside the white for the egg wash. Whisk the egg yolk and remaining whole egg into the yeast mixture. Add the yeast mixture to the flour, then mix on low speed to make a smooth, thick dough. Increase the speed to medium and add the butter a piece at a time. Once all of the butter has been added, beat on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough until it forms a smooth, springy ball on the hook, 4 to 5 minutes (add a little more flour, if needed, if the dough doesn't form a ball). Grease a large bowl and turn the dough in the bowl to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• For the custard: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cream, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, egg and yolk. Whisk it together and heat over medium heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and extract; stir until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap. Let cool at room temp.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into balls by folding the dough under itself and pinching to seal underneath. Set the ball, smooth-side up, on a floured surface, and turn in your hand to form a tight round shape. Divide the 12 buns among the lined baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the buns have risen, gently press down on each to make indentations that will make space for the custard. Fill the indentations with the custard. Top with the plums. Brush the buns with the reserved egg white mixed with a splash of water and sprinkle with demerera sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and flakey salt. Bake, rotating the trays from top to bottom halfway through, until the buns are risen and golden and the custard is set, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add 1 cup plum pulp (see instructions at end of recipe), cream, egg, and 1/4 cup melted butter and stir until combined (should still be lumpy, not smooth).
• Spoon batter into muffin cups to about 2/3 full. Bake about 20 minutes or until centers are set. Remove puffs from pan immediately.
• While puffs are baking, combine cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the puffs are removed from the pan, dip tops into melted butter, then into cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• To make plum pulp: Wash plums and place in a large pot. Add a little water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to pot--just enough to make some steam. Cover and heat over very low heat until the fruit is soft. Pour the juice and some fruit into a colander set over a large bowl (to catch juices and pulp). Mash the fruit around with a potato masher (not too hard--you don't want to break the pits!) until most of the pulp and skins have been pressed through the colander. Discard the pits, add some more fruit to the colander, and repeat until all the fruit has been pressed through. 2 lbs of plums should yield about 3 cups pulp, which may be used for this recipe, frozen in containers or freezer bags, or made into jam. Look for European plums, not Asian plums as they are not as good for cooking.

Steps:

• Mix the ginger with the soy and plum sauces, oil and honey in a deep dish, then add the duck legs, turning to coat. Cover and chill for at least 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Lift the duck legs onto a non-stick baking tray, then roast for 1½ hrs until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, tip the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 mins, then cool. When the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and shred the meat. Mix with the cooled marinade and spring onions.
• Unroll the pastry onto a floured surface and roll it out even thinner until you have a sheet large enough to stamp out 10 circles using a 9-10cm round cutter. Put 2 tsp of the duck filling in the middle of each circle, brush the edges of pastry with a little egg, then fold the pastry circles in half, pressing to seal so you have a half-moon shape (any remaining duck makes a great filling for wraps). Transfer the puffs to a baking sheet and brush with more egg. Can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden, or 5 mins longer from frozen.