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By Erin Walgamuth
Are you thinking that this is a ridiculously long name for an appetizer? Or, oh no, she’s using plums again! Well, ok I really do love plums, but you can use peaches instead of the plums if you like.
I developed this recipe last summer and everyone liked it. You can serve this as an appetizer or as a unique dessert.
Prosciutto Wrapped Plums in Balsamic Brown Sugar Reduction Sauce With Mascarpone and Honey
You will need-
11-12” non stick sauté pan
Serves 8 as an appetizer
Prep time about 20 minutes
Cook time 6-8 minutes per batch
4 black plums, approximately 1 pound, washed and dried
1 5.29oz package of Prosciutto. I used Stockmeyer brand from Trader Joe’s
1 8oz container of Mascarpone cheese. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Vanilla
Dark brown sugar
Remove mascarpone cheese from container with a rubber spatula and place in a small bowl. Add honey, one teaspoon at a time, mix well with a fork and taste. Continue this process until you achieve a medium sweetness level. Set aside.
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Cut plums in half from stem end. Remove pit. Slice each half into five pieces. You will have about 40 slices all together. Set aside. Slice prosciutto length wise, then in half so you have four long pieces each, set aside. I used all but five slices of the prosciutto, yea left over’s!
Wrap each plum slice snugly with a strip of prosciutto, set aside.
In the sauté pan add 2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Turn heat on to medium and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 10 or more (You don’t want the plums to touch) prosciutto wrapped plum slices to the pan and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook plums about three minutes per side or until prosciutto is firm. Use tongs or a spoon to transfer plums to a warm plate to rest. Continue cooking in batches until all the plums are cooked. Add more balsamic vinegar, vanilla and brown sugar to the pan when necessary.
I found that if you cook the plums longer, say 4 minutes per side, the prosciutto is crispier, but the plums are mushy. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s really just personal preference. So please, experiment to see what is best for you.
Spoon a tablespoon or two of the mascarpone onto 8 small plates. Place 5 plum slices on each plate and serve. Enjoy!
Erin Walgamuth has been an assistant Food Stylist for television and print for the past 26 years and writes this column using her own recipes. Check out her other creations in our Hometown Recipe section.
