Russian Curd-cheese Pancakes with Plum Compote

A perfect dish for a weekend brunch, the pancakes are light and tangy and go perfectly with plums.

Serves 6

For the compote:

250ml red wine
250ml water
150g caster sugar
1 stick cinnamon
6 black peppercorns, bashed
1 strip lemon peel
350g plums

For the pancakes:

900g curd cheese
1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
4 tbsp caster sugar
10 tbsp plain flour
Grated zest of ½ orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
35g unsalted butter

To make the compote put everything except the plums in a pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring. Meanwhile, halve and stone the plums. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the plums. Poach until the fruit is tender but not falling apart. Carefully lift the fruit out and put it in a dish. Now remove the flavourings from the poaching liquor and boil it until it has reduced by about two thirds. It should be syrupy. (Don't forget it will get more syrupy as it cools.) Leave to cool then pour over the plums. I like cold plums against warm pancakes, so I chill them.

If the curd cheese feels a bit 'wet' put it in some muslin or a new J Cloth and press it in a sieve with a wooden spoon, or let it drain over a bowl in the fridge for several hours.

Put all the ingredients for the pancakes, except the butter, in a bowl and mix with a pinch of salt. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Melt some of the butter in a frying pan and put little pools of batter into it, each about 1¼ tbsp. They should form little pancakes about 8cm in diameter. Cook for three minutes per side or until golden, adding a little more butter for each batch. Be careful not to burn the butter. Serve the pancakes with icing sugar sifted over the top and the plums alongside.

Cafe Sperl's Plum Squares

The Cafe Sperl is a Viennese institution, where these simple tart-like squares knock spots off the rest of the complicated layered pâtisserie on offer.

Makes 16 to 20

200g plain flour
100g butter
175g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
675g plums
2 tbsp granulated sugar
200g redcurrant jelly

Put the flour and butter in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the caster sugar and salt and mix again just to combine. Add the yolk and vanilla and keep the machine running until the mixture forms a ball of pastry – add a drop of very cold water if necessary. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes.

Halve and stone the plums. If they're large, quarter them.

Press the pastry into a 20?x?30cm baking tin. Lay the plums on top, cut-side up, pressing them lightly into the pastry and fitting them closely together. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/ gas mark 4 for 45 minutes.

Leave to cool, then melt the jelly in a pan with 1½ tbsp water. Spoon this on to the plums. Leave to set then cut into squares or rectangles.

Plum, Hazelnut and Roquefort Salad

I make so many salads in the autumn with apples and pears that I wanted to try another fruit. Cooked until almost caramelised, plums are lovely with nuts and blue cheese, cured ham or smoked meat, though you must use fruit that is sweet, otherwise it will be just too tart in the mix.

Serves 6

For the vinaigrette:

3 tsp red-wine vinegar
¼ tsp crème de cassis
Smidgen of dijon mustard
Pinch of caster sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp hazelnut oil
175g watercress or baby spinach (or a mix)
150g roquefort, crumbled
50g toasted unblanched hazelnuts, halved
25g unsalted butter
12 small plums, halved and stoned
1½ tbsp granulated sugar

To make the vinaigrette, put the vinegar, cassis, mustard, sugar and some salt and pepper into a cup, then whisk in the oils using a fork. Taste and adjust – the acidity of vinegars varies. Set aside.

Get the leaves, cheese and nuts prepared. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the plums, cooking them over a medium heat until they have softened a little. Now add the sugar, a tiny bit of salt and some pepper. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and coated the plums, almost caramelising them in parts. You may find you need a bit more sugar, depending on the size of the plums. Be careful not to burn the butter and sugar.

As soon as the plums are ready, slide them on to a plate so that they don't continue to cook in the heat of the pan.

Gently toss with the other ingredients and the vinaigrette and serve.