Plum and Grape Gratin

It has been an interesting long weekend. First up we headed to the new Ikea and got lost in the midst of the crowd. After 3 months, we finally bought a frame for the engagement party guest board. I spent Monday morning tidying up the study room and now I feel ready to continue writing the next few chapters of the it feels like it is never ending but i know it eventually will thesis.

I'm already fantasizing what I will do on the day I hand it up. The walking up to the graduate center, signing a thick green book off, quick thank you to supervisor and then driving home to pack ALL my papers away (resisting the temptation to burn them all!). The celebratory dinner and the flight back to Singapore for a long awaited holiday. Just TWO MORE MONTHS.

Another dessert post. I suppose I'm slowly getting the hang of making different sorts of desserts. This recipe was adapted from Donna Hay Classics 2 and was supposed to be a nectarine and blueberry gratin. Well, I had plums and grapes on hand so I substituted the fruits with that. =)

It was my first attempt of a gratin and I'm pleased with the result. The lightness of the gratin paired well with the stone fruit and grapes. Grapes were included in at the spur of the moment and I was glad I did it. My only regret was that I should have added 1/2 a tablespoon of sugar more to balance off the tartness of the plums.



Plum and Grape Gratin (serves 2)
3 plums stoned and sliced
1/2 cup of seedless red grapes
1 tablespoon of sugar
10 grams of butter

gratin topping
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup of caster sugar
2 egg whites

Pre heat oven to 180C. Divide plums and grapes into 2 ramekins. Sprinkle butter and sugar on them.

Gratin topping- Whisk egg whites till soft peaks form. Mix flour, almond meal and sugar in a seperate bowl. Fold egg white through the dry mixture gently. Spoon gratin topping over the fruit and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve with a dollop of ice-cream!