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Jammy Cumin Plums and Feta Salad

5.0

(5)

Plum and Feta Salad on white linen with bread
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua

Plums rarely get the attention that peaches and other show-offy summer fruits do, but they should. They come in a wide range of colors and shapes and are just as complex and tasty cooked as they are raw. Here they are simmered with fragrant cumin for a subtly savory turn, while also bringing balance to the assertiveness of tangy, salty feta. Serve it all up with some toasted or grilled bread to soak up the delicious syrupy sauce. These jammy plums are also delicious spooned over yogurt or vanilla ice cream (you can leave out the spices if you want to go all sweet) or keep them savory as a stand-out topping on a meat and cheese plate.

This recipe is part of the 2023 Farmers Market Challenge, where we’re celebrating peak-season produce with five-ingredient recipes. Head right this way for the full collection.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

4

large red plums (about 1 lb.), cut into ½"-thick wedges

⅓

cup sugar

½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

½

tsp. cumin seeds

2

4-oz. feta slabs

½

tsp. thyme leaves

Freshly ground pepper

1

baguette, sliced on a diagonal 1" thick, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, toasted

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 4 large red plums (about 1 lb.), cut into ½"-thick wedges, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. cumin seeds, and ¼ cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook until some plum wedges are starting to fall apart and liquid is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 8 minutes. Let plums cool slightly.

    Step 2

    Spoon jammy plums onto a platter. Break two 4-oz. feta slabs into large pieces and arrange over and around. Top with ½ tsp. thyme leaves and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve with 1 baguette, sliced on a diagonal 1" thick, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, toasted.

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Reviews (5)

Back to TopTriangle

  • This was surprisingly easy and versatile. I didn't do the sugar and water syrup, I just added honey directly to the plums and it became the perfect little syrup. I used the plums with greek yogurt and a few pistachios on top, I put on a whole grain sourdough toast, and I made a muddled cocktail with the plums: just add lemon, vodka, ice, fizzy water.

    • Claudia in SF

    • San Francisco, CA

    • 7/20/2023

  • So delicious -- mine turned out way jammier than the pic by the time the water reduced, but we loved it! Had it over pork chops and with feta.

    • Anonymous

    • New York, NY

    • 7/18/2023