Roasted Plums with Ice Cream is a simple summer fruit dessert with a sly secret ~ you can use that rock hard fruit that shows up in markets way before it’s actually ripe ~ roasting brings out all of the lusciousness, and nobody’ll be the wiser.
We always want what we can’t have, and juicy ripe stone fruit is one of those things I start craving waaaaay before the mid to late summer when it’s truly in season. I found my plums this week at the supermarket, they’re from Chile. If I tried to let them ripen on the counter they’d rot before anything wonderful would happen. The only way to draw the lusciousness out of them is to roast them in a very hot oven. I tossed them with a touch of sugar, a little lemon juice, vanilla bean, and bourbon. And let me tell you, it not only works, it transforms them into something extraordinary, and then some. The texture, the flavor, the color — oh my! The ice cream is optional, and I’m not just saying that, these roasted plums are absolutely worth it all by themselves, and if you’re trying to cut calories, then that’s the way to go.
I always keep a bottle of good bourbon in the house because I love to cook with it, the mellow flavor is the perfect boost for so many recipes. You can substitute all kinds of other spirits if you like, (Amaretto would be nice) or leave it out entirely. As for the vanilla, I’m partial to my Vanilla Bean Paste.ย I love it because it has a deeper flavor than regular vanilla extract and it contains all those wonderful seeds. It’s more expensive than extract, but much less expensive than using vanilla beans.
It’s amazing what roasting and that tiny bit of flavoring does to fruit, these roasted plums with ice cream were spectacular, I hope you give it a try.
More fruit forward dessert recipes to try!
- The Easiest Peach Buckle Recipe
- Fresh Cherry Dessert Sauce
- Fresh Apricot Jam
- Honeycrisp Apple Cardamom Cake
Roasted Plums with Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 lbs plums, or other stone fruit, apricots work well
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp Bourbon
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of a vanilla bean
- 4 cups vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Set oven to 425ยฐF.
- Halve and pit the plums. If the pits don't come out easily, use a small spoon to gouge them out. If the fruit is large, cut it into quarters. Toss with the sugar, bourbon, lemon juice, and vanilla and put it in a baking pan just large enough to allow them to form a single layer.
- Roast for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until they become bubbly, soft, and juicy.
- Remove and let cool slightly before layering into small bowls or glasses with the ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
notes:
- Please don’t peel your fruit, the skin adds lots of color and flavor.
- Your roasting pan should be large enough to fit the plums in a single layer, but not so big that the fruit is all spread out, because the juices will evaporate too quickly in that case.
- You can use the fruit hot from the oven, or let it cool down. I personally like a little bit of warmth left in the fruit, that way it immediately melts some of the ice cream and everything swirls together into a sea of deliciousness…don’t waste a bit of that juice, spoon any extra over the top.
- Leftover fruit can be added to your morning yogurt or oatmeal.
Don’t forget to pin these Roasted Plums with Ice Cream!
more delicious plums~
GRILLED PLUMCOT SALAD WITH TOASTED WALNUT VINAIGRETTE
I’m drooling!! I have a bag of rock-hard plums from the supermarket…and the ingredients to make some vanilla ice cream. So excited to make this!
Who would have thought we could get so excited about rock hard plums!
Roasting fruit is my favorite way to enjoy them, especially w ice cream! Gorgeous!
I’ve roasted peaches, when they’re just too rock hard to work with. Every year, I miss the short Italian prunes season, but I’m going to circle Fall on my calendar. In the meantime, these plums are easier to find. Looks so good. Simple and delicious, and that’s how I like my desserts.
This looks absolutely divine! I love using fruits in creative ways, and this is one of my faves ๐
Those roasted plums are just gorgeous, what an incredible dessert!
Plums, peaches, tomatoes. Roasting is a fabulous off-season secret! GREG
You’re so right!