Hot spiced fruit with ice cream
You can use redcurrants, blackcurrants or raspberries for this dessert in the summer and, as the season changes, turn to more autumnal fruit such as plums and damsons.
From Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers
Serves 4
punnet of English plums, stalks removed
good sprinkling of unrefined caster or granulated sugar
good sprinkling of light muscovado sugar
few whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 fresh bay leaf
good quality vanilla ice cream, to serve
Place the whole plums into a large shallow pan over a medium heat and sprinkle over both types of sugar, adding more or less depending on the sweetness of the fruit and how sweet your tooth is.
Add enough water to cover the fruit halfway up, then drop the cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf into the pan. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the plums have collapsed a little bit and the juices have mixed with the sugar.
Serve the very cold ice cream in bowls, spoon over the hot plums and some of the cooking juices and serve immediately.