Plum Sauce

I am trying to take advantage of the bounty here in Michigan before the end of the season! This week happens to be plums! While I love the juicy red type, my favorite is the Italian plums that are drier and more intensely "plum" flavor. I also needed a quick dessert! So after much fiddling around while doing the Sunday night laundry, kitchen cleanup and listening to teenagers talk about what the weekend was all about, I came up with Plum Sauce.

I used about 3/4 of a quart of plums, halved and pitted (I want a few for an upside down sponge cake!) 3 Tablespoons Sugar, Zest from a lemon and 1/4 cup of Recioto della Valpolicella Classico. I cooked the whole thing over low heat until the plums just started to break down. It was about 20 minutes. I then ran the batch thru the food processor. I thought about straining it...but I wanted it to be a little rustic and chunky + the dishwasher was full and I HATE cleaning the fine mesh strainer by hand!

The Recioto wine is produced like an Amarone using semi-dried fruit but served sweet rather than dry. I like the fact that it is not fortified (12.5% alcohol) and has intense plum and cherry flavors! The Boulevard Market is stocking the pictured Recioto and I love that it is only a 1/2 bottle...

I think you could easily use a semi sweet Riesling or Gewurtraminer if you wanted to summer it up a bit. I put a giant dollop on top of plain Four Corners Creamery Goat Yogurt and it was divine! The yogurt added the right balance of tartness and the plum sauce was rich and sweet.

So I saved a cup full and will add a bit to tonight's vinaigrette! I love sauce recipes that become condiments. I could also see this served with a pork loin chop, maybe add a bit of vinegar to it.