Plum Sauce for One

Plum sauce is happiness in a jar. It’s both sweet and sour, and it’s both the main event and a wonderful accompaniment. In this way, it’s like the best musician ever.

5 fresh plums, halved and pitted

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce)

Pinch of diced fresh shallot or dried minced onion

Optional: teaspoon sugar or teaspoon vinegar

1. Put the plums in a small saucepan with enough water to barely cover them. Bring them to a boil, reduce the heat, and then simmer until the skins have burst and the plums are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow the little darlings to cool a bit.
3. Place a sieve over a bowl, and then put the plums into the sieve (not the boiling water, though—I saved the beautiful bright red liquid for my morning smoothie. Yum). Press them with the back of a spoon to squeeze out the juice. You want to keep the juice and some of the pulp but leave the skins in the sieve. (You could also do this in a cheesecloth sack.) Leave the sieve to rest in splendor while any last little bits of juice drip through.
4. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic and ginger in a TBLSP of water (just enough to keep it from sticking). Keep the little minces moving for about 2 minutes, adding more water, if necessary.
5. Add in the plum pulp, tamari, and dried onion. Bring it all to a boil, and then turn the heat down a bit. 
6. Simmer until the sauce reduces by about half, which should take about 10 minutes. Taste it, and if necessary, add sugar if you want it more sweet, vinegar if you want it more sour, or maybe both, if you’re looking to shake things up a bit.

This recipe makes about a cup of sauce. 

You could hit it with an immersion blender if you want a smoother sauce. I like the chunks. Seen below sharing a burger bun with banana ketchup. Yup. That's yellow ketchup. (Recipe coming soon.) 

I use Plum Sauce to top my green onion pancakes (recipe coming soon), my Savory Banana Tofu (recipe coming soon), and my Faux Crab Cakes (recipe and probably a new name for the recipe coming soon). It’s also good on toast or toast topped by faux cream cheese or peanut butter. It makes a great streak of color in sushi. 

Seen below on Faux Crab Cakes, Green Onion Pancakes, and within the sauce of Savory Banana Tofu.