Baked Plums with Ricotta, Honey and Almonds

Baked plums with ricotta, honey, and almonds

I love summer fruit - so juicy, so fragrant!  But those little guys are fragile and a few days in your produce drawer can make them squishy and bruised.  If you have peaches, plums, nectarines or apricots that have seen better days, bake them in the oven!


This technique is easy as can be and works for any stone fruit.  Feel free to experiment with the spices you use when you bake them, and again with what you serve them with.  I served my plums with ricotta, and it was a nice, neutral palate for the sweet-and-sour tastes.  If your plums are really sweet, try it with Greek yogurt; if your plums are a little more sour, go for vanilla ice cream.  Don't like nuts?  Crush up some ginger snaps or amaretti.  You can dress these up and serve them at a dinner party, or do them on the grill instead of in the oven for your next barbecue!


Baked Plums with Ricotta, Honey and Almonds


Ingredients:

• 4 plums (or peaches or nectarines or whatever you have)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons honey, plus more for serving
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1/4 cup crushed almonds, or other nuts, or cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash the plums, then cut in half and remove the stones.  Place all plum halves, cut-side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, and drizzle with honey.  Bake for 20 minutes.



Fresh from the oven.  Love that color!

2. When cool enough to handle, you can easily remove the skins if you want.  I like them, and they add fiber, so they stayed on for my family.  To serve:  Place 1/4 cup ricotta in a bowl, along with 2 plum halves and some crushed nuts or cookies.  Add a shake of cinnamon and drizzle liberally with honey.