Good Guests Remember Plum Cake

By Millicent K. Brody

As much as many of us love to entertain, it tends to be pretty tiring. By the time you sit down to eat, you’re ready for bed! And, there’s the “Plus-One Factor”: after perusing the guest list and deciding how many leaves you’re going to need to extend your dining room table, there is always a last-minute someone who calls and asks if they could bring one or two of their friendly, overnight visitors. You don’t dare refuse.

But, as tiring as it is, entertaining is also very rewarding, and it’s always great to get your friends together. As one of my friends says, regardless of the holiday, as soon as it’s a table full of people, it’s like Christmas: Lots of good food and lots of people having a great time.

And make no mistake, there’s always lots of good food at my parties (and the parties I go to!) One friend of mine who is expecting sixteen for Yom Kippur is dishing up a Blintz Souffle. As for me, I’ll be serving my traditional Italian Prune Plum Cake. I’ve discovered that plums purchased at a local farmer’s market are far plumper than those you may find in a supermarket, so start scouring your local market and see what you can find.


Delicious Plum Cake
Ingredients:
2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
2 sticks butter
4 eggs plus one egg white, beaten
2 tsp. baking powder
28 prune plums, halved, skin side up
cinnamon and sugar to taste

Procedure:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice prune plums and toss with 2 teas. cinnamon and 2 teas. sugar to taste

Grease a 9x13 Pyrex dish

In large bowl, beat eggs, butter, and baking powder. Add flour. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Take 5 or 6 plums and cut them into several pieces. Toss into the batter.

Hand stir and fold the batter several more times.

Pour the mixture into a Pyrex dish.

Top with remaining plums. Dab with bits of butter. Drizzle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Served with your favorite cup of coffee and vanilla ice cream.


Blintz Soufflé
Ingredients:
2 boxes of Golden or Ratners Blintzes. (Cherry or Blueberry)
1 stick butter or margarine
4 eggs
1/4 t. salt
1 t. orange juice
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream

Procedure:
Heat oven to 350 degrees

Take 1/4 lb. butter (1 stick) and place it in a 9x13 casserole dish. Melt in oven.

Place all the other ingredients except Blintzes in a blender and combine.

Place 12 blintzes over melted butter. Pour and pack mixture from blender.

Bake for 45 minutes uncovered. Serve warm with extra sour cream.