Roasted plums

These are fresh out of the oven -- steaming hot, goopy, waiting to be cooled slightly and poured over yoghurt. Or ice cream. Or eaten on their own.

We've been eating delicious Italian plums for nearly a week now, but the last bunch I bought weren't quite right: tart, and faintly green between the yellow flesh and purple skin. I doused them in honey and dark brown sugar, and roasted them in the oven until they began to fall apart. Rescuing the juice was a pain -- I didn't use the right size pan -- but the result is sweetness and the taste of warm plums. We've had them over plain yogurt at breakfast, and over vanilla ice cream for dessert. The only problem is that they are now all gone.

What you need:

• plums
• brown sugar (1 tbsp per pound of plums)*
• honey (scant tbsp per pound of plums)*
• plain yoghurt or vanilla ice cream, for serving
• slivered almonds, for serving (optional)

*Use a bit less if your plums are completely ripe!

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Cut the plums in halves and discard the pits. Place the plums, brown sugar and honey in a bowl and stir well. Spread the plums in a single layer (more or less) in a Corningware dish (or glass baking dish) and place in oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove when plums are soft but not completely soupy.
• Let cool until warm before serving.

The plums, with their juice, keep in the fridge for a couple of days.