Plums Fried in Butter
timing is rarely perfect
things you’ll need: plums (apricots, pluots, apriums, nectarines, peaches, or maybe any fruit), butter, salt, and something to serve them with like oatmeal, lemon mascarpone, ricotta, cottage cheese, oatmeal cookie crumble, ice cream, burrata, so on and so forth (because that’s what dreams are made of).
tip: if you happen to have a bird's beak paring knife, it’s my preferred tool for pitting stone fruits.
incidentally gluten-free and vegetarian; vegan if you use grapeseed oil or grill them to similar effect and serve them with something non-dairy.
Chapter 234
Most people would say that you have your life together. If asked, you would agree. It doesn’t mean you haven’t left the house wearing two different shoes or haven’t wandered about the house looking for something that was in your hand the whole time because you are exhausted.
When you are exhausted you tend to get stuck in patterns. Some patterns are benign and allow you to idle your way through the dark until you find your way again. At worst, they are the dark you get lost inside. You get stuck sometimes. Don’t blame your muscles for remembering.
Right now, you are buying plums and bringing them home to rot. As far as patterns go, it’s not the worst. You always have a plan but then time refuses to hold still so you can get your shit together, and now you have fruit flies.
Things aren’t going to go according to plan. After the last 2+ years, it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. Stop waiting for the timing to be right. You have plums right now and they are ripe enough to fry in butter.
Cut your fruit in half and twist. One half will come free from the pit. Using a small blade, carefully cut around and under the pit in the other half. Then, use your fingers to pry or pliers to twist the pit free from the other half. If you try to pry the pit free with a knife, you could break the blade or end up in the emergency room waiting to get stitches.
If you end up with one beautiful half and one half that looks hacked apart and slightly chewed on, they will taste the same so it’s ok. Don’t plan for perfect.
Get a pan very hot. Then, add butter and place your plums cut-side down in the pan as the butter melts. Give them a light press and swirl to ensure a good sear. Repeat with all the plum halves.
Smell the caramelizing sugar and get excited because you are about to have plums, finally.
Once the cut sides are well-browned and caramelized, flip over to the skin side and sprinkle lightly with salt (which, like melon, makes them sweeter). Drop the flame down to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook on low until al dente or a fork pierces easily. The riper the plum, the faster it will be.
You can eat your plums hot over oatmeal, at room temperature with mascarpone, or at whatever temperature with burrata. Top with whipped cream and use oatmeal cookies or shortbread for a spoon. Store them in the fridge for a few days to stir into yogurt or sneak as treats whenever you are wanting.
There is a reason the electric slide is as annoying as it is entertaining: there is comfort in the familiar and predictable. You can step out of the line and find your own step again. Your muscles remember that too. You’ve done it before and, this time, you have plums.
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This looks so delicious!! we have a pluot tree that I need to harvest before the birds thieve everything.