Unexpected items are showing up at the Boston City Hall farmer’s market. Yesterday I spotted white Concord grapes and strawberry tomatillos (both of which had a pear overtone), and these prune plums.

I bought the plums with visions of a rustic tart, but it’s a rainy weeknight with no social prospects to share such a tart and husband prefers chocolate. The plums were too tart for eating as is, so I roasted them with honey to see what would happen.

Turns out what happened was plummy sweet tart goodness. Would have made a classy dessert paired with high-quality vanilla ice cream or some buttermilk ice cream. Not so classy, I would have been happy to eat these warm right off the pan. But I’m also a big fan of anything that can be put on toasted Nashoba Brook Bakery bread, so I decided to make a fruit spread. Let me know if you try this on ice cream, and what flavor.

Plum honey butter
10 small prune plums, washed, cut in half with pits removed
1 TBS honey, plus more added later to adjust sweetness
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat oven to 325. Put a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet, spread out the plum halves, and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

2. Roast until very soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

3. Put in blender, food processor, or large cup if you are using an immersion blender. Add balsamic vinegar and blend to the desired consistency. Taste and if it’s not sweet enough, add honey by the teaspoonful and blend, tasting and adjusting until it’s sweet.

4. Serve with toast or ice cream.