I always buy more plums than I think we’ll eat. I really like dark plums when they are almost too ripe as the insides turn a beautiful purple color. If you realize you’ve been a little over zealous in buying plums, this is a great way to use them up and turn them into a side dish for dinner. Try to find the type of plums where the stone comes out clean as they are easier to remove the pits. I was not as lucky- so I had to cut out the pits, either way they are still delicious. They are great along side grilled pork chops or roasted chicken.

Vanilla & Chinese Five Spice Roasted Plums

8 fresh ripe plums (mixture of red and black)

3 Tbsp. pomegranate juice or cranberry juice

3 Tbsp. clover honey

1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut each plum in half and remove pits, place cut side up in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle plums with the spice. Mix together the juice, honey and vanilla and pour over plums. Toss plums to coat evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until soft. Serve warm or chilled as a side dish with chicken or pork or simply as a snack. Store plums along with juice in an airtight container in the fridge.