One Plum, Three Very Different Dishes

The Habit Healers · Oct 8, 2026 · 56m

Chef Martin Oswald placed each halved plum skin-side down across a crumbly walnut crust. That one small move kept the juice inside the fruit as it baked, but it also explained the larger idea behind our latest cooking session.

He was not trying to make a familiar dessert better by simply taking things away. He kept asking what each ingredient needed to do. The walnuts had to bring richness and texture. The oats had to help the crust hold together. The plums had to supply tartness, sweetness, color, and moisture. Even the skins had a job.

By the time Martin finished, one seasonal fruit had…