The Underrated Fruit You Should Be Baking With, According To Gemma Stafford - Exclusive

When it comes to baking, you should go with the flow — and the seasons. Fall is arguably the best time for sweets, with apple cider donuts at every pumpkin patch. Pears, strawberries, and oranges are just a few of the popular fruits used in your favorite tarts and desserts. However, as the winter thrusts upon us, good summer fruits may be harder to find at the grocery store. If you are looking for new ideas or are just plain sick of your usual recipes, Gemma Stafford, a professional chef, recommends an underrated fruit to start incorporating into your baking.

In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Stafford dug deep into the world of baking with her best tips and why you should most definitely be putting yogurt in your pie crust. The cookbook author revealed that the one kitchen tool she could never live without is a ruler as her sophomore book was just released. "Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day: Easy Recipes to Bake Through a Busy Week" features bread, scones, banana bread, and every other dessert recipe you could think of. Stafford even included a recipe for the fruit she thinks deserves more attention.

Plums should be in your next dessert

As Thanksgiving rounds the corner, so does a table filled with turkey and sides. Gemma Stafford revealed the best way to upgrade your desserts, and it has to do with one unexpected fruit. She told Tasting Table, "Plums are a great one because in season [and] out, they're not that expensive. The one thing is seasonality." Stafford included a plum crostata in her second cookbook she describes as "delicious." According to Bon Appétit, the pairing of plum and mascarpone goes best with black or red plums.

Stafford explained that as plums are a solid choice throughout the year, so are bananas. The food personality added, "They're cheap, they're all year round, and if you're making a dessert for a party or whatever it is in December, or you're making one in June, bananas always work." The cookbook author has a rum and banana upside down cake in her second book for a twist on the classic pineapple upside down cake. Of course, when we think of bananas, we think of banana bread. According to Stafford, the key to a moist banana bread is making sure the bananas are ripe. Your homework this week is to try out some new plum and banana baking recipes! 

Head to Bigger Bolder Baking's website to learn more about Stafford's new cookbook or check out her YouTube channel to keep up with her recipes.