Vanilla scented Seared Plums

      It's restaurant week in Charleston this week.  At the restaurant I've been making some special desserts, among them bread pudding with peaches mascerated in mint syrup.  We've been running peaches like this all summer, but our last batch of peaches just wern't good anymore.  They were hard nd tasteless, really not like peaches at all.  So when we put the order in I asked for some of the nice plums I've been seeing around the last couple of weeks.  This was a good plan!
      I wanted something a little different, and something that screamed fall.  So I took the plums and cut them into 8 pieces then seared them in a very hot pan with just a little bit of butter.  When you are searing the plums be sure that you don't over crowd the pan.  Put them in the pan, try to get as many as you can on the flesh side and give them a good hard sear without moving them around much.  Patience is the key.  Let them get nice and dark and carmelly, then transfer them to a pan with just a bit of liquid in the bottom.  Water will work, but imagine what a nice wine or liquor might add to the flavor:  Just think about your finished product and use something that will enhance not detract from your dish.  You will sear them in small batches and continue adding them to the other pan.
      Now I am lucky enough at work to have whole vanilla beans to get to play with.  I use them to make my creme brulee, but I just scrape the insides and you are still left with the pod itself, which will impart a good bit of flavor.  I take the emptied pods and store them in sugar which gives me vanilla sugar to use as I see fit.  So in this case I take the vanilla sugar and use it to cover the plums.  Use about a quarter of the volume of sugar to the volume of plums you started out with before you started to cook them.  Just sprinkle it over (maybe add one of the leftover pods for a little extra flavor) and cook over low heat gently stirring occasionally.  Only cook until the sugar is just disolved.  The plums will still be firm enough to hold their shape, but will develop a very rich flavor along with a deep red color.  That's it! You are done.
      Now use them as you like.  As I said, I was serving them along with some bread pudding, but they are wonderful over ice cream, or to top a New York style cheesecake.  They would be really delicious used for a sauce to go with lamb or pork, or put them in a plum pie.  I used some of the juice to make a ginger plum soda that was just to die for, and honestly just found myself eating plums all night.  As they sit in the juice they become darker and the flavor becomes richer.  I think this is a definately a better the next day kind of food.  Hope you enjoy!