The market · Fruit · France and the north-west

Mirabelle plums

Small golden plums, often freckled red, from Lorraine — honey-sweet with an apricot perfume, for tarts, jam and eau-de-vie.

honeyed · apricot-like · perfumed

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangMirabelle plum would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilMirabelle plum would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaMirabelle plum would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayMirabelle plum would cut through its richness

Goes with

almondbuttervanillapork

Knowing it

Where to buy
French markets and specialist greengrocers in season: deep yellow and just soft. They bruise easily. Frozen and jarred out of season.
A little history
Lorraine grows most of the world's crop, and protects its own as Mirabelle de Lorraine.
Worth knowing
Halve and stone them and pack them close, cut side up, in a tart — they shrink as they bake. A spoon of mirabelle eau-de-vie over them at the end lifts the perfume.

More fruit, in season with it

at its peakFruitApplescrisp, tartsoursweet4 classicsFruitApricotshoneyed, floral, tartsoursweetNot cooked here yetFruitBlackberriesjammy, sweet, tartsourNot cooked here yetFruitElderberriestart, earthy, wineyNot cooked here yet