Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl.

Pulse them in a microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each pulse to help spread the melted bits.

Continue pulsing and stirring until the chips and coconut oil are melted and blended.

Pour over your ice cream, wait a few seconds and dig in.

I store my magic shell in a microwave safe bowl in the refrigerator until the next use. Melt in the same way and you made it, short pulses and stirring until it is melted.

Place a few pounds of ice into a dish pan or a 6 quart stock pot. Make a quart pitcher of water and place it next to the ice.

Place the milk, half and half, sugar, salt, and vanilla beans and pod into a sauce pan large enough to allow for stirring on the stove.

Heat to just boiling stirring to help the sugar not stick and burn.

Watch the pot. When milk products start to boil, they tend to foam and overflow their containers. Stir with the whisk vigorously to keep the bubbles down. If needs be, slide the pot off the burner to allow the bubbles to settle, then return it back to the heat.

Once the milk has boiled, the risk of overflow is gone.

Cover the milk mixture and let is steep 20 minutes.

When the steeping time is done, place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk until they turn a light lemon yellow.

Carefully ladle a small quantity, not more than half a cup, of the hot cream onto the egg yolk mixture. Whisk in slowly. When the milk mixture is fully incorporated, add another half cup, and mix in completely.

Repeat two more times, then, pour the egg yolk/sugar mixture into the pot with the remaining milk and set to medium high heat.

Using the wooden spoon, stir the cream mixture in a figure 8 motion. Every few passes scrape the corner edges of the pot. Hold the thermometer in the cream mixture and cook until it reaches 180° F.

Do not set the heat to high or the eggs will curdle before the custard reaches the proper temperature.

When the sauce is done, when it has reached the temperature, place the pan in the prepared ice bath and pour enough water in the ice to make a bath for the pot. Keep stirring the sauce to get the heat out and stop the cooking.

When the sauce is cool, strain it into the metal canister. Cover and place in the cooler for at least 4 hours or until it is the same temperature as the refrigerator.

Ice cream made from hot Crème Anglaise will not have the same smooth texture as that made from cold Anglaise.

Spin in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's instructions.

Mix cream of tartar with just a few drops of water to eliminate the lumps. Add this to the egg white(s).

Place sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan. Gently stir to combine ingredients and make sure the sugar is wet. Heat to 248° F (120° C) without stirring.

When the temperature reaches 212° F (100°C) turn the mixer on medium-high. When the sugar mixture reaches the proper temperature, remove the syrup and pour a slow stream of the syrup into the whipping egg white(s).

Whip the marshmallow fluff until the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch. Transfer to a container or jar which seals and store in the refrigerator.

The fluff will hold a shape right after being made. Give it overnight in the cooler to take the familiar consistency that pours.

Heat oven to 350° F.

Prepare cake pan.

Add all the dry ingredients and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or bowl large enough for a hand held mixer.

Add the butter and paddle on speed 1 to mix the butter into the flour. When the flour mixture looks like polymorphic sand, add the eggs, one at a time, allowing for full incorporation before the next egg.

Add the milk in a small stream with the mixer speed on low. Slowly add the milk until it is incorporated then move the speed to medium-too much speed and the batter will fling out of the bowl-and mix to make sure all is mixed.

Place the batter into the prepared pan and place the plums skin side up into the batter. Crown them together. If you don’t use all the plums, sprinkle them with some granulated sugar, wait 10 minutes then have a treat for yourself.

Cover the plums with the streusel topping.

Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The plums may make the toothpick look wet, but you are looking for cake batter on the toothpick. Plum juice is expected.

When the cake is done and nicely golden brown on top, remove to a cooling rack. Allow to cool 15 minutes or until the cake is easy to handle. Carefully remove the cake from the pan by placing a dinner plate over the pan before inverting it. This will save the streusel bits from falling on the floor.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

As the cake cools, the plums should release some of their juice into the cake helping increase the plum flavor and adding to the moisture. Some plums don’t have as much juice to give so if your cake seems dryer than you expected it is the plums, not you.

A note about sweetness. In many cases European desserts are not as sweet as American desserts. This plum cake is one such example and I find that a plus. Feel free to add nutmeg or cardamom to the cake batter if you prefer a spiced flavored cake. There is a lot of room to make this your own.