Sweet Harvest

Chef Dustin Valette shares childhood orchard memories and a recipe for warm plum cake

Plum cake, with one slice cut out, displayed next to a bowl of plum-orange sauce
For the Matheson’s Dustin Valette, a Healdsburg native, there is nothing more indicative of summer than a fresh Alexander Valley plum. (Dawn Heumann)

There’s nothing like a fresh plum from Alexander Valley orchards in the summertime. Chef Dustin Valette, who leads the kitchens at the Matheson (Best of Award of Excellence) and Valette (Award of Excellence), shares his favorite recipe for warm summer plum cake, elevated with a plum-orange gastrique and vanilla Chantilly cream. Get the full recipe here!

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