Roasted Plums
Roasted plums may be the easiest dessert you make this summer. They're simply sprinkled with brown sugar, strewn with star anise, and roasted until soft and crimson. Spectacular with ice cream or mascarpone yet equally stunning served straight from the baking dish.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
- 8 ripe but firm black plums, halved and pitted
- 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
- 8 whole star anise, lightly crushed, plus a few whole pods for garnish (optional)
- vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream, crème fraîche, or fresh ricotta, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the plum halves in a single layer.
- Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar evenly over the plum halves, then scatter the crushed 8 whole star anise on top.
- Roast until the sugar has melted, the plums are warmed through, and the skins are just beginning to wrinkle, about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how ripe your plums are.
- Let the plums cool in the baking dish for 5 minutes.
- To serve, remove and discard the cooked star anise pieces. Place two plum halves in each dessert bowl and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, crème fraîche, or ricotta. Spoon some of the crimson juices from the pan over everything and, if you like, garnish with a whole star anise pod. Serve promptly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g