My initial thought was to offer up this mousse for Valentines night and even though it looks pretty in pink and tastes divine, I’m worried the chocoholics amongst you might feel short changed and cause a mini riot if I don’t produce something chocolatey on that date.

By all means serve this if you prefer (I know I’m going to), you won’t be disappointed. A generous slug of sloe gin greatly adds to the flavour, so I’m hoping you have a bottle of this winter warmer lurking in your booze cupboard, failing that port (or even orange juice) will do.

What you’re really getting here is two for the price of one.

Leave out the cream and egg whites and you’ve got yourself a deliciously fruity conserve. Perfect spread on croissants, toast and scones and with a two week shelf life if kept in the fridge. We’ve literally just finished a jarful and I’m seriouly considering making another.

Actually, this dessert happened by accident. I was in my local ‘super’ and got seduced into buying a punnet of bright red plums to cheer up my winter fruit bowl. I should have known better.

Buying supermarket fruit, (with the exception of M&S) is a bit like playing Russian roulette. You never know when you’re getting a dud.

Although the plums were plump and ripe, biting into the flesh was a dismal experience. I expected a mouthful of lush, juicy fruit, instead it was a tasteless non event with texture like cottonwool.  So there was nothing for it but to stew them.

I don’t know why, but something good happens when you cook plums. Even shrivelled up, wrinkly skinned fruit you’d think was beyond all help, turns into intensely flavoured pieces of juicy flesh.

So, if like me you have some poor old plums lurking in the bottom of your fruit bowl, (the darker the skin the better) here’s what to do with them…

Serves: 2 generous or 4 small portions
Effort Level: Easy
Shelf Life: Eat same day

Ingredients:
250g tart dark plums
60ml sloe gin (preferably- otherwise use port)
50g  caster sugar
75ml double cream
2 egg whites
2 heaped tsp powdered gelatine (SuperCook and Dr Oetker are both good)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment:
Small saucepan
2 small mixing bowls
Blender stick, liquidiser or food processor
Whisk or electric beater
2 large ramekins or 4 small

N.B: Concentrate on blitzing the plums only and not the juice, as I’ve found the gelatine doesn’t set so well otherwise.

Here’s What You Do:
Wash the plums and place in a small saucepan with the sugar and sloe gin. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently over a low heat for 10 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks and put aside.

Repeat with egg whites, beating them until they’re glossy white and resemble shaving foam.

Now take the plums off the heat, scoop them onto a plate  and leave to cool.

Next, sprinkle the gelatine over the hot plum liquid and stir until dissolved. If necessary return the pan to a very low heat stirring constantly.

 Once the plums are cool enough to handle remove their stones and return them to the saucepan. Add ¼ tsp cinnamon and concentrate on blending just the fruit then mix with the juice (bottle them at this stage if making conserve).

Next, reserve 2 tbsps of the plum puree (you’ll need it for decoration later), then fold the cream into the remaining puree.

Now fold in the egg white,  the resulting mixture should be pale pinky in colour (don’t worry if it’s a little on the sloppy side, it will set).

Divide between the ramekins then swirl the reserved pureed plum over the top of each and chill in the freezer for 1 hour or the fridge for 3 before serving.