Plums are enormously versatile and roasting them in this super-simple fashion will expand their uses even further. Although divine dished up just as they are or with a good puddle of cream, they are sublime served alongside a best of British rice pudding, as here, or when turned into a sorbet, soufflé or unctuous cheesecake. Try them with your breakfast yogurt and granola or with a hot bowl of porridge – the list goes on…
I always recommend that you use ripe fruit for most recipes, but roasting slightly under-ripe plums will enhance any that are slightly lacking in the flavour department.
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the roasted plums
800g ripe red plums, washed
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
½ vanilla pod
1 small cinnamon stick
For the rice pudding
125g pudding or short-grain rice
50–75g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
1 strip of orange peel
2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
750ml semi-skimmed milk
a pinch of salt
2–3 tablespoons double cream, plus extra to serve
1 tablespoon chopped pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4 and line a baking tin with baking parchment or foil.
For the roasted plums, cut the fruits in half – don’t worry about removing the stones at this stage. Arrange in the lined tin, cut-side uppermost, and sprinkle with the sugar. Split the half vanilla pod in half down its length and cut each piece in half again. Tuck the vanilla pieces and cinnamon stick amongst the plums and roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 30–40 minutes until the fruit is very tender, juicy and starting to caramelise at the edges.
Meanwhile, make the rice pudding. Place the rice in a saucepan, add 350ml cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Drain and return to the pan.
Add the vanilla pod to the rice with 50g sugar, the strip of orange peel, cardamom pods, milk and salt. Place over a low heat and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer very gently, stirring from time to time, for about 20 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the milk has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat, fish out the vanilla pod and orange peel and add the cream and the rest of the sugar, if needed. Serve warm, scattered with the nuts, with the roasted plums and extra cream.
Taken from Summer Berries and Autumn Fruits, by Annie Rigg. Published by Kyle Books, priced £19.99. Photography by Tara Fisher
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