Grilled Plums
with Mascarpone
Halved plums grilled until caramelized and tender, filled with a cool vanilla and cinnamon mascarpone cream, topped with toasted almonds, and finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Five ingredients, ten minutes, and it looks like something from a restaurant dessert menu. The most elegant recipe in this entire collection — and one of the simplest.
- Grilled Plums
- 3 plums, halved & pitted
- Mascarpone Filling
- ⅓ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- To Finish
- 2–3 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
- — balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
-
1
Make the mascarpone filling
Combine the mascarpone, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use — the filling firms up slightly as it chills which makes it easier to spoon into the warm plums.
-
2
Toast the almonds
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Watch closely — they go from golden to burnt quickly. Remove from heat and set aside.
-
3
Grill the plums
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the plum halves cut-side down and grill for 2 minutes without moving them — you want distinct grill marks and caramelization on the cut surface. Flip and grill the skin side for another 2 minutes until the plums are just tender but still holding their shape.
-
4
Assemble & serve
Place the warm grilled plum halves on a plate cut-side up. Spoon a generous dollop of the chilled mascarpone filling into the cavity of each plum. Scatter the toasted almonds over the top and finish with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar over everything. Serve immediately while the plums are still warm.
- Ripe but firm plums are essential: Plums that are too soft will fall apart on the grill — choose ones that give slightly to pressure but still feel firm. If your plums are very ripe, reduce grill time to 90 seconds per side.
- The balsamic drizzle is the finishing touch: A small amount of good balsamic vinegar drizzled at the end adds a sweet, tangy complexity that ties the warm caramelized plum, cool vanilla cream, and toasted almonds together perfectly. Don't skip it.
- Toast the almonds: Raw sliced almonds are fine — toasted almonds are significantly better. Two minutes in a dry pan transforms them from bland to nutty and fragrant. Worth the extra step every time.
- No grill? Use a cast iron skillet: A cast iron pan over high heat gets hot enough to properly caramelize the plum cut-side — press them down gently for the first minute to ensure full contact with the pan.
- Mascarpone note: Mascarpone is higher in fat than Greek yogurt — it's genuinely the right ingredient for this recipe and a small amount goes a long way. This is an occasional treat dessert, not an everyday snack, and it's absolutely worth it.