Gingered Plums

March 19, 2002

The open homes have ended. There are no more phone calls from land agents wanting to show people through the property. No more running around picking up the latest deposits of cat fur, or sweeping up the autumnal shedding from the trees over the fence. Our house has been sold.

I am really looking forward to returning to my kitchen in the north.

When we first bought our Wellington home 24 years ago, it was a modest little bungalow in sore need of some TLC. But, as they say, the bones were good and we have done several renovations over the years, including some serious excavating and building. But the project I enjoyed most was inventing a new kitchen.

The major renovation in the late 1980s ended at the kitchen door, along with the ready funds. When it came time to visit the bank manager again, The Spouse had a brilliant idea. Instead of doing up the old kitchen, we would turn it into a bedroom and relocate the kitchen in what was an old sunroom and adjoining former laundry. Much more space and a pleasant outlook facing the garden.

The architect put a new graduate on the job. It was his first kitchen assignment and he left no stone unturned. Between us we organised a kitchen that completely suited my way of working. I'm short - just scraping in over five feet - and I don't have long arms. Eye level for some is tiptoes for me. After working in a kitchen where most of the storage space was built for the over-six-footers, it was great to design cupboards that were all within reach without having to balance precariously on a stool.

Probably the hardest part in leaving our Wellington home was leaving that kitchen behind. When The Spouse and younger son started house-hunting in Christchurch just over two years ago, they were quick to cross off houses where they figured I would not like the kitchen. They must have seen me as picky as they eliminated at least 50 houses.

And while the kitchen in the house we eventually chose is attractive, functional and accessible, it's missing a few things like a gas hob, a benchtop barbecue, pull-out boards by the oven for holding hot dishes, a pantry work-bench, a couple of metres of Corian counter tops for rolling pastry, kneading bread, and so on, grandstand seats for visitors to sit and chat to the cook…

With The Spouse having already started his new job in the north, I am back to cooking for one at the moment. I think I overlooked that when I did the shopping at the weekend because I was lured into buying far too much fruit. I like cooked fruit for breakfast so I decided to stew a bowl of plums for morning snacking.

This is a simple recipe, but one with a little extra zing. It's great with a sweetened yoghurt but it would be equally at home as a dessert with a big dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

To stone the plums, run a sharp knife around the indentation in the plum and twist the fruit with both hands. One half will be stoneless. Simply remove the stone from the other half with the knife tip.

Gingered Plums

500g red plums, halved and stoned
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large knob of fresh ginger.

Peel the ginger and shave the flesh thinly with a potato peeler. Place all the ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil then simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the plums are cooked. Cool and refrigerate.