“Irresistible Delicious” Roasted Plums

Roasted plums are delicious  and so dam simple. My son has been making this dish since he was 9 years old.

I admit plums are a major weakness for me. I wasn’t much of a troublemaker as a kid but of the few times I got into trouble, plums were often at the center of the issue. I was essentially a plums bandit much like the Fantastic Mr. Fox was with chickens. There wasn’t a punishment severe enough to deter my plum addiction; no belt, paddle, or any other means of a whooping  mattered. Sweet or sour, loved both types, plums were just irresistible delicious. There was the time I snuck into a neighbors’ backyard with a large bucket and a wooden pole ; I used the pole to knock plums off their limbs to the ground where I collected them in my bucket. My haul was about 3-5 pounds of unripe green ones and I ate about two thirds of them that day.

The trouble came during the simulated WWE wrestling grudge match between an unripe green plums belly full me vs. my brother. Not only did I lose the match, but I lost my goods as well vomiting all over my grandmother’s forbidden room. The forbidden room had the good furniture and carpet including the plastic covered sofas; it was only for company/guests and completely off-limits to us kids. Plums and a Jake “the Snake” DDT wrestling move don’t mix.

These “pluots” I found at Central Market triggered this reflection. They are actually a hybrid combination of plums and apricots. These particular ones are closer to green plums in size, color and texture, but maintain the sweetness of apricots. I’m not much of a baker, so most of my desserts are either ice cream or roasted fruits. These plums or any for that matter are great for roasting. I made a spicy agave based sauce. The sauce, similar to this overall recipe as very simple. I mixed agave (honey or maple are perfectly suitable substitutes) with cinnamon and chili powder and pour over the plums. The agave was used to help with caramelization and combined with the natural sweetness of the plums which would be intensified by roasting I decided to add some savory to balance the flavor.

Definitely add plums to your dessert repertoire along with these watermelon steak and wine poached pears from earlier recipe posts.

Great beats, better eats. Enjoy these roasted plums!

Roasted Plums w/ Spiced Syrup

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Modern Soul Food

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 4 ripe plums halved and pitted
• 2 tsp agave or honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup Greek Yogurt optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Arrange the plums in a baking dish. Drizzle with the agave mix, using more if the plums are not sweet, or less if the plums are sweet.
3. Roast in the preheated oven until the plums are very soft, approximately 30 minutes.
4. Cool slightly & serve topped with yogurt & an additional drizzle of syrup. Garnish with fresh herbs (thyme or oregano)
5. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.