4 chicken legs, thighs attached
2 medium plums, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 green chili, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger puree
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine plums, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, orange juice, vinegar, honey, chili, ginger, mustard and salt in a food processor, blending until smooth.
2. Place mixture into a saucepan over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and reduce by half, stirring occasionally.
3. Allow the marinade to cool. Prick the chicken several times with a fork, then place in a dish covered with 3/4 of the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour, turning once.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a roasting pan with an oiled rack inside of it.
5. Place the chicken on the rack of the roasting pan and roast until cooked through to the center, about 30 minutes.
6. Brush remaining 1/4 of marinade over chicken and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Allow meat to rest for a few minutes and garnish with lime wedges dusted with cayenne pepper.

Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sherry or apple juice
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
water

1. Soak the raisins in the sherry while preparing the cauliflower.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and steam cauliflower until just tender.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic.
4. Lightly brown the garlic, then stir in the vinegar, raisins and sherry. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Drain the cauliflower and add it to the sauce. Simmer for several minutes, stirring to coat, until most of the sauce has been absorbed.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl to serve.

Makes 4 servings

Shannon requested something sweet and hot and I came up with a little something I guess I'll call Plum Chili Chicken Quarters. Plums are still everywhere for really cheap, so it's a good way of using up some of the ones we've got kicking around the fridge so we can buy fresh ones again. We still don't have a food processor, but the chunky plum bits pretty much dissolved or evaporated or something, since the sauce was smooth by the time it'd finished cooking. I made an enormous mess out of the oven preparing this; since I don't have a roasting pan yet, I just placed the chicken pieces directly on the oven rack with a tray to catch the drippings. At least, that was the plan, since my pan to catch the drippings tends to warp with the heat and tends to splatter things as it does so. Oh well, we need to clean the oven anyway.

The chicken definitely has a nice flavor. Not surprisingly it's similar to plum sauce with a bit more of a tang and has a consistency sort of like slow-cooked barbecue. It was not really spicy enough for me, so I served it with little lime wedges with cayenne pepper on it so I could just add some heat whenever I felt it was necessary. The lime juice was good too, complimenting the orange juice/citrus already in the sauce/marinade.

I often just pick up vegetables because they're really cheap and then figure out what I'm going to do with them. 99 cents for a head of cauliflower? Sold! Sure, this Cauliflower with Raisins dish really bears no resemblance to the entree, but really, what kind of cuisine is this, anyway? I don't think this really worked as it was, though the sherry soaked raisins sure tasted good! Perhaps if the whole thing was refrigerated and added a few more elements (maybe some toasted nuts, some cheese, a couple other vegetables) it would've made a good salad, but it's kind of odd hot.