5 Ingredients or Fewer

Roasted Plums with Vanilla Bean

by:
September  1, 2013
5
1 Ratings
Roasted Plums with Vanilla Bean
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This is hardly a recipe -- really just a flavor combination and a simple method for coaxing the best out of not-quite-ripe fruit. Feel free to experiment with other fruits, such as peaches, apricots or even cherries. —Merrill Stubbs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 firm-ripe plums (about 2 inches in diameter)
  • 2 tablespoons raw (turbinado) sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • Ice cream or creme fraiche for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. Rinse and dry the plums. Halve them and remove the pits, then slice each into 6 vertical wedges. Put them in a bowl.
  2. Put the sugar in a smaller bowl. Using a sharp paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the center and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the sugar and stir with a fork to distribute the vanilla seeds.
  3. Sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the plums and toss gently with your hands to combine. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and spread the plums evenly over the paper. Heat the broiler, with an oven rack positioned about 5 inches from the flame. Broil the plums for a couple of minutes, watching them carefully, until the sugar begins to caramelize. Cool slightly before serving, either on their own or with a scoop of ice cream or creme fraiche.
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  • jessfscarbone
    jessfscarbone
  • CarlaCooks
    CarlaCooks
  • Merrill Stubbs
    Merrill Stubbs
  • Ceege
    Ceege

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10 Reviews

jessfscarbone
jessfscarbone October 1, 2014
These look lovely--and I just got a fresh batch of prunes from my CSA! How long will the roasted fruit keep?
 
Ceege
Ceege September 6, 2013
CarlaCooks, It all depends on how sweet/juicy your plums are. Mine were not exceptionally sweet, so I used the full amount of sugar. The sugar is what makes them caramelize. It may be better to reduce the sugar in the frangipane instead. Good luck.
 
CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks September 8, 2013
Ok, final verdict! I took your advice into consideration and decided to make a not-really-sweet base for the tart and use the proper amount of sugar for the plums. It turns out my plums weren't as firm as I originally thought, so they collapsed while roasting. But they were still very tasty! For the tart filling, I used Dorie Greenspan's almond cream (from Around My French Table), but I cut waaaay back on the sugar in it. I filled the blind-baked tart shell with the almond cream, baked it for 30 minutes, then let it cool. Right before serving I topped the tart with the plums. It was really tasty! Thanks for your advice, Ceege :)
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. September 8, 2013
That sounds delicious!
 
Ceege
Ceege September 6, 2013
@ CarlaCooks

I just made a batch of these delicious plums yesterday. If making into a pie, I would definitely add some cornstarch. I broiled 6 yellow plums and made the recipe exactly as stated. After sitting for a while, I did have a lot of juice. Good luck with the pie/tart.
 
CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks September 6, 2013
Thanks, Ceege! I am also considering making a frangipane, putting that on the bottom of my blind-baked tart crust, and then just putting the roasted plums on top. I'm a bit concerned that it might be too sweet (I used one of Jamie Oliver's tart crust recipes, and it's too sweet in my onion), so I'm going to reduce the sugar in both the frangipane and the roasted plums to see if it works.
 
CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks September 6, 2013
This looks lovely! I also just got a big batch of tart little plums, so I'll be making these tomorrow. Do you think they could be used as a fruit tart filling? If so, should I add anything (cornstarch or other thickener)?
 
Ceege
Ceege September 4, 2013
Thanks Merrill for the quick response. I have some plums in fridge that I will use to try this recipe. Will need to run out tomorrow for the vanilla beans as I only have pure vanilla in my pantry. Can't wait to try this tomorrow. I am always looking for recipes using fresh fruits.
 
Ceege
Ceege September 4, 2013
Help - for us rookie cooks. In step 2 it says to split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Then add to the sugar. Am I adding the seeds OR the bean? Sorry, but I have never used a vanilla bean. Thanks
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. September 4, 2013
No apology necessary -- I should have been more clear! You add the seeds to the turbinado sugar. (But save the pod and put it in with your regular white sugar for vanilla sugar!)