Santa Rosa Plum Compote

I love everything about the Santa Rosa Plum. It’s a pretty tree that’s easy to grow and it yields lots of sweet-tart fruit. When cooked, the plums become a deep, pinky red—gorgeous!  I enjoy plenty of plums picked straight from the tree, but I also make ice cream, compote, tarts and kuchen.

Unfortunately, Santa Rosa plums have a relative short season—so eat many now. What you may not know is that Santa Rosa plums freeze remarkably well. Just rinse and dry and throw them into a ziplock bag. They’ll keep frozen for several months and are great for making ice cream, sorbet or compote. (There is a really good Santa Rosa Plum Ice Cream Recipe in Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes.)

Here is a recipe for a simple compote that’s delicious on ice cream or as it’s shown here on miniature panna cota (another great recipe in Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes.)

Compote

1 pound red plums, pitted and sliced

2/3 cup sugar 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

1 1/2x 3-inch strip lemon peel

Simmer ingredients over low heat until plums are very tender and mixture thickens slightly (not as thick as jam), about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and Cool completely. Transfer to bowl and chill. (Can be prepared several days ahead. Keep chilled.)