Roasted Plums with Star Anise

These sweet and sticky Roasted Plums with Star Anise are the perfect dessert on a cold winters night. Get the recipe below.

Delicious, fruity desserts

I don't know about you but I just can't say no to puddings. No matter how big a meal I've had there's always room for something sweet! When I was younger I was genuinely convinced you had an extra stomach just for dessert. What else could explain my ability to eat mountains of ice-cream after a huge, filling dinner.

My inability to feel as though a meal is finished without having had dessert is a bit of a problem when it comes to trying to lose weight. As I type this, I can hear the Ben & Jerry's in my freezer calling out my name.

In order to satisfy my sweet tooth in an evening when I'm trying to be healthy, I look to natures sweet treats - fruit!

Plums

Plums were on offer in our local green grocers at the weekend so we bought a huge punnet of these beautiful purple fruits. Not content with simply eating them raw, I decided to roasted them with a little brown sugar and star anise for an extra kick. This is an incredibly simple dessert but tastes delicious. It certainly hit the spot for me.

There are lots of different varieties of plums. Different varieties have different flavours with some being sweet and tasting more sour.

The colour of plums also varies depending on their type rather than whether or not they are ripe (more on that below). Some are bright red. some are deep purple. You can even get varieties that are yellow or green. Some wild plums are almost blue in colour.

When are plums in season?

Although roasted plums may seem like the perfect dish for autumn or winter, plums are actually available all year round. But, if you want to buy British, most varieties are in season only from mid-August to October.

What to look for when buying plums

The cloudy bloom on their skin is natural and isn’t an indication of poor quality or them being under or over ripe. Because there are so many different varieties, colour also isn’t a useful indicator as to whether or not they are ripe.

Instead, what you should be looking for is a firm plum that has a smooth skin with no bruises. It should give a little when you squeeze it

How to roast plums

I love to roast plums. Roasting them helps to bring out their sweet juices and takes the edge off of those fruits that might be under ripe or that have a little tartness to them as they caramelise in the dish. A little brown sugar gives the whole process a helping hand. I know brown sugar can hardly be classed as diet food, but roasted fruit still counts as a healthy dessert, right?

If you are trying to stray away from processed sugar, honey or maple syrup will also work. A tablespoon drizzled over the top before baking will have the desired effect. You can also use any type of plum for this recipe. Or a mixture of different plum varieties. It's up to you!

All you need to do is cut them in half, remove the stone and then place skin side down into a roasting dish. Pour over the orange juice, brown sugar and star anise. Place them in the oven and roast for 30 minutes until soft and sticky. It's as easy as that.

The recipe

When you're trying to be good do you give up dessert completely or do you too look to fruit to get your kicks? I'd love to hear some of your suggestions in the comments! But first, let's look at the recipe.

Serving suggestions

I love to serve these Roasted Plums with Star Anise when they are warm (rather than piping hot). They are sticky and sweet, with a hint of spice. Their warm juices are so comforting.

A good vanilla ice cream of custard also tastes delicious!

More puddings

If you like fruity puddings like this, then why not try one of these other delicious desserts.

Browse the archive

Check out the full range of sweet treats in my Dessert Recipe Archive.