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Roasted plums with bay leaf creme anglaise

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Roasted plums with bay leaf creme anglaise

Photo by fiveandspice

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe for Plums
A&M's Testing Notes: Bay leaf, the humble workhorse of every cook's herb arsenal, finally gets its due -- in the form of a rich, barely sweet creme anglaise. Roasting the plums brings out their depth and fiery...
Bay leaf, the humble workhorse of every cook's herb arsenal, finally gets its due -- in the form of a rich, barely sweet creme anglaise. Roasting the plums brings out their depth and fiery color. My favorite way to eat this was with warmed plums and a heap of cool creme anglaise melting on top. Note: If your plums are large, you may only need one per person. - Kristen

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Chef
fiveandspice's Notes: This an updated take on my grandmother's stewed prunes with cream, switching out the stewed prunes for roasted plums, as I've become quite enamored of the glorious warmth and flavor roasting...
This an updated take on my grandmother's stewed prunes with cream, switching out the stewed prunes for roasted plums, as I've become quite enamored of the glorious warmth and flavor roasting will bring out in stone fruits. The bay flavoring in the creme anglaise has a subtle spiciness and sweetness. The idea to use bay instead of vanilla was inspired by a bay leaf flavored pudding I had, and which I was completely blown away by. - fiveandspice

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Serves 6

Roast plums:

12 sweet plums of your favorite variety Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons packed, dark brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup chopped, roasted hazelnuts (for topping) Ask a question about this ingredient

Creme Anglaise:

1 cup heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup whole milk Ask a question about this ingredient

3 bay leaves (dried or fresh will work) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

4 egg yolks Ask a question about this ingredient

First make the Creme Anglaise. In a small saucepan, bring cream, milk, ¼ cup of the sugar and bay leaves to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and other ¼ cup sugar until well combined.
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In a slow, thin stream, whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture.
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Scrape this back into your saucepan and return to low heat. Stir constantly until the custard thickens and the stirring spoon leaves a little trail (should just take a couple of minutes). Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves.
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Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the crème and chill until ready to use. Strain before using.
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Next, roast the plums. Preheat your oven to 400F. Wash the plums, halve them and remove their pits.
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Lay the plums cut sides up in a baking dish and sprinkle the brown sugar over their surfaces. Bake for about 20 minutes until quite tender when pricked with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
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. Divide the plums into 6 dessert bowls. Spoon the crème anglaise on top and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts. Enjoy!
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4 Comments on Roasted plums with bay leaf creme anglaise

AntoniaJames added about 1 year ago

What a great recipe. I'm so glad it received EP honors. I adore the combination of bay and vanilla, and imagine that it's simply divine with the roasted plums! Congrats!! ;o)