Stone Fruits

I have a tendency to be excessive. If there is an ingredient that is spot on, it tends to haunt my thoughts. For the past several weeks, cherries have captured my attention, though not my creativity. I keep a stash of plump, juicy cherries in the walk-in. I offer to get any and everything from the walk-in, always emerging with a squirrel’s mouthful of cherries and pits, though usually forgetting the initial reason for going into the refrigerator.

Anyway, cherries are beginning to dwindle while plums are now coming into their own. While my mouth is not big enough to hold several plums, I still end up with a mouthful of stones as the day progresses. And unlike the cherries, the plums have been inspiring beyond just eating as is. Today, we made a plum pico de gallo to serve with Gorgonzola dolce. The trim from dicing the fruit was mixed with Japanese salted plums to make a puree and an ensuing chip. The dish is drizzled with Manni olive oil, and we eat.