Damsons with sage, Camembert & cacao

Summer

Fruity, sharp damsons, with their chutney-like qualities, make the ideal accompaniment to a strong, ripe cheese such as Camembert. The honey in this recipe sweetens the fruit just enough to balance their acidity, while the cacao nibs (which are simply unprocessed cocoa beans, broken into little bits) offer texture, their bittersweet character matching incredibly well with the sage. I like to serve this colourful combination as a cheese course, perhaps with a small cup of good coffee, freshly brewed.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small knob of butter
2–3 teaspoons runny honey
8 ripe damsons, halved and stoned
12 small sage leaves
125g (4½oz) ripe Camembert or Brie
2 teaspoons cacao nibs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Take the cheese out of the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature while you cook the damsons.

Place a medium pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil, butter and honey and when hot and bubbling add the damson halves, cut side down. Tear in most of the sage leaves and cook the fruit for 3–4 minutes on the first side, then carefully turn the damson halves over and cook for 2–3 minutes on the other side, or until the fruits are tender but still just holding their shape. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan.

Slice the cheese and divide the slices equally between each plate. Top with equal servings of damsons, a few of the torn sage leaves and a good trickle of the buttery, sweet pan juices. Finish with a light sprinkling of cacao nibs and a little salt and pepper. Serve straight away.

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