Author Notes
Last summer I got carried away at the Greenmarket and bought waaay too many plums. So I tried to prolong some by poaching them. It turned out they were so good I had to go get more plums for a reprise. Vanilla ice cream is a great accompaniment. —ChefJune
Ingredients
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12
or 18 ripe plums (depending on size of fruit) -- choose red or black plums
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3 cups
cold water
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2 cups
cane sugar (or less if your plums are really sweet)
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1 1/2 cups
Crème de Cassis liqueur (I use Lucien Jacob)
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16
cardamom pods, crushed with the side of a large knife
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1/2 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey)
Directions
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Cut each plum in half and remove the pit. Do not peel them, or they will fall apart while they are poaching.
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In a nonreactive pan, combine all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to a simmer, and add the fruit. Poach for about 20 minutes, turning the fruit often so the fruit poaches evenly.
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Use a slotted spoon to remove the poached fruit from the liquid. Strain the poaching liquid and return it to the saucepan. Reduce the poaching liquid to a thick syrup and pour it over the plums. Allow the fruit to chill in the syrup. Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as an accompaniment.
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