Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Mirabelle Plum Sauce

-It's awesome having the hookup.-

One of the best kind of friends to have are the friends who know people. Whether this means connections in your line of work, access to back stage, or getting you hooked up with the best hair stylist having a buddy in the know is always a plus. I'm happy to have many such people in my life who are able to educate me, connect me, and help me blossom in both work and play.

My food blogging buddy, Lynn of Sacatomato, recently helped me with the latter. She knows a guy who has some trees that bear too much fruit. With this connection she was able to score me 8 pounds of plums to play with. Satsumas and Mirabelles, no less.

I've talked about Mirabelle plums here before. They're hard to locate in the U.S. and unless you know someone with a tree your chances of finding them are slim to nil.

For the most part, Mirabelles are a tad too sweet for me. Sugary, flowery, and just plain intense. After eating one or two I'm usually good for the year. That's why I spun them into a delectable spiced plum sauce perfect for ice cream, cheese plates, and pancakes. It's warm, floral, spicy, and fruity - everything a good fruit sauce should be. While you can use overripe plums of any variety for this I encourage you to try Mirabelles if you can find any.

-Star anise, cinnamon, and vanilla flavor this sauce. However, the flavors of the plums still stand out.-

Mirabelle Plum Sauce
I didn't skin these as the plums were too ripe to do so. However, Mirabelle skins are very thin and break down for the most part in cooking.

5 cups Mirabelle plums, chopped
3 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon butter

Combine all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any foam that forms. Continue to stir for 30 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Pour into sterilized jars. Process for canning if you so desire or simply store in the fridge. Makes 4 1/2 - 5 cups.

-Excellent with blue cheeses as a stand-in for honey.-

4 comments:

  1. Waaaaaaaaaaah!!! Garrett, you're so mean! Seducing me with the siren call of your gorgeous photos, flooding my taste buds with vicarious joy at your descriptions, making them sit up and demand to have "Some of that...NOW!" And then, my brain kicks in and I realize that even though I feel like I know you after reading your blog religiously for (4? 5? longer?) years, I don't *actually* know you and so can't even beg and plead and bat my eyelashes in an attempt to score a taste of that golden loveliness.

    *sighs* My banana is looking pretty pathetic right now.

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  2. Mmm, yummy. I made a very similar sauce (with purple plums that had been in my little dorm fridge too long) and my roommates and I enjoyed it in crepes with nutella. YUM. I really wish I could try these Mirabelles, though, they look and sound amazing.

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  3. Garrett.
    I saw these yellow sauce a while ago on your blog.
    I thought,'Mmmh..I think these Mirabelle things are not grown here in Turkey.Pity..'
    Today I found them at farmer's market in my neighbourhood.
    I made the sauce.
    I'm wordless.
    Have a nice day.

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  4. I used this recipe yesterday using my lovely neighbor's Mirabelle plums, which grow well here in Iowa. Not having enough white sugar on hand, I substituted brown for half, and the results were fantastic! Today I'm making a batch using 8 cups of plums and just 2 cups of brown sugar - no white at all. If your own concoction is heavenly as it looks, this one is heaven on earth, with its deep golden goodness. We're taking it to a Labor Day party at my generous neighbor's pool house tonight, and will enjoy the sauce over ice cream. What a way to savor edible sunshine!

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~Garrett