Plum Carpaccio + Lemon Ginger Cream

Plums are in season and this is a great way to enjoy them, other than just eating them as is. This plum carpaccio is inspired by Matthew Kenney. He has a wonderful flair for raw eats of all kinds. You can find the original recipe in his book called Entertaining in the Raw. (be sure to check around for the best book price...this link is the best price I found but that could change)

For this recipe we will be making a simple syrup using either dates + water or pure maple syrup. To this we will add either vanilla bean or vanilla extract...both if your feeling like a good dose of vanilla with your plums and cream! You can probably guess want I did. :) I used dates for the syrup you see here. This batch came out a bit frothier than previous batches as I didn't let it rest very long. If you look closely enough you can see some of those little vanilla bean seeds in the smear above right...such delicious little speckles they are!

This simple syrup along with the lemon ginger cream will be added on top of your thinly sliced plums. I used a sharp knife to slice my plums. I didn't bother removing the seeds and simply started at the outer edge slicing inward until I came to the seed and then repeated on the other side. I found this to be the easiest way. For me, removing the seed meant squishiness on parts of the plum and I just didn't care for that. The best part of doing it this way was having a little extra plum on the sides for nibbling on. If your like me and like to nibble before the plate is served, you can go ahead and dip the extra plum flesh left around the seeds into the cream or syrup and start enjoying this as soon as possible. Or you can cut the small remaining amount off and place it in a sealed container to be eaten later with the leftover cream and syrup. Either way it's a win, win! But certainly if you wish, you can slice your plums in half, remove the seed and slice thinly using a sharp knife or mandolin and still dip in a few pieces here and there, just to be sure it tastes good. :)

 Plum Carpaccio + Lemon Ginger Cream

Carpacicio

• 8 plums (any color)

Lemon Ginger Cream

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated ginger (I used a microplane to grate)

Simple Syrup

• 2 medjool dates, pitted (fresh is best)
• 1/3 cup water

OR...

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (in place of dates and water)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or both if you like)

For the cream, combine ingredients in a small blender (I used the magic bullet) and blend until smooth. You will want it to be on the thick side and shouldn't need any additional water. But if you forgo the soaking process you may need to add a bit more...I suggest adding in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or water at a time. If you find your cream is a bit too runny, add in a few cashews and blend. You can serve at room temp or refrigerate a bit before serving. Can be made a day or two ahead of time.

For the simple syrup, combine either the dates, water and vanilla OR maple syrup and vanilla into a small blender (I used the magic bullet) and blend until smooth. Feel free to add a tad bit more water as needed to thin. You can serve at room temp or refrigerate a bit before serving. Can be made a day or two in advance.

Slice your plums thinly just before serving. I have given a more detailed way of slicing above. Here is the simple version: I placed my plums on a flat surface with the stem side up and sliced as thinly as I could by hand with a sharp knife starting from the outside and slicing in until I came to the seed in the middle. Do this for both sides.

Place you plums however you like on your plate. Serve with a nice drizzle of the simple syrup and a dollop of the lemon ginger cream. Garnish with some mint leaves. Serves 2 - 3.

Enjoy!