How to make Vin Santo poached greengage plums with almonds and vanilla bean ricotta

Perfect on their own or in a jam, greengages make for an ideal dessert fruit. Here, Julia Platt Leonard poaches the plums with Vin Santo wine, almonds and vanilla bean ricotta

Rule of plum: greengages work best against a sweet backdrop (Julia Platt Leonard)

Lucky Sir Thomas Gage. He imported plums from France in the early 18th century and – so the story goes – during the journey the label was lost so no one knew the fruit’s real name. When the small green plums arrived in England, they were given his surname and called greengages.

Not all greengages are green, although most are and they’re ideal dessert fruit, perfect for eating as is. They also make a superb jam and are a treat poached.

You could poach them in two-parts water to one-part sugar, but I’ve replaced half the water with sweet Vin Santo wine from Italy, and reduced the sugar.

I leave the stone in and poach and serve them whole but you could slice them in half before or after poaching.

The skin will pucker slightly when you cook them but it doesn’t affect the taste. Toss some blanched almonds into the poaching liquid and they become lovely and syrupy.

Add crushed Italian cantuccini (almond biscotti) for some bite and creamy ricotta cheese with vanilla and you’re sorted.

Serves 4-6

500g greengage plums, ripe but still firm
50g blanched, whole almonds
1 strip of lemon peel
250ml Vin Santo or Marsala wine
250ml water
150g caster sugar
½ vanilla bean, scraped or 7g vanilla bean paste
75g cantuccini (almond biscotti) 
250g ricotta cheese

Place the whole plums, almonds and lemon peel in a pan with the Vin Santo, water and sugar. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the plums are slightly softened.

The cooking time will vary based on how ripe your plums are but around 10 minutes. The skin may crack and peel slightly but this won’t affect the taste. When the plums are done, scoop them out of the poaching liquid and set aside.

Reduce down the poaching liquid with the almonds until it’s slightly thickened and syrupy. Remove from the heat and pour over the plums. At this point you can place the plums, almonds and poaching liquid into a clean glass jar and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Mix the ricotta with the scraped vanilla bean or the vanilla bean paste. Roughly crush the cantuccini biscuits, reserving one or two whole per person to use as a garnish. For each person, serve several plums with almonds, a generous spoonful of ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of the crushed biscuits. Drizzle some of the poaching liquid on top and garnish with a whole biscuit. Serve with a glass of Vin Santo on the side, if you’re so inclined.

@Juliapleonard