smoked tofu with plum sauce

i feel as if i have the tendency to get a bit hyperbolic when i write about food. i gush about things--everything is always "the best i've ever had." i attribute this partially to the fact that i'm really not a very picky eater: cilantro aside, i can't think of a single thing that comes out of the ground that i don't like.

but the truth is that i make a lot of things that are resoundingly mediocre, and with a few exceptions, i don't post about them. last week i made francis lam's eggplant purée pasta sauce, which i had been dreaming about for days, and both my dining companion and myself didn't really notice it much while we were eating it. it was perfectly edible, and we helped it along with a crumbled feta, but i was not thrilled. i'll try it again, probably, maybe with less tomato, more eggplant, stock instead of wine.

there was also an orange polenta cake (i think i found it in food and wine?) with a thin layer of caramel that held so much promise for me. i mean, just look at it:but the polenta got oddly bitter in the oven, and the cake was too thin to hold up under all that orange--the juice soaked right through, leaving the cake falling apart and soggy. tragic, i know.

there are also the everyday things that i hold back on sharing, of course. i eat variations of sautéed vegetables, toast and a poached egg typically at least once a week. tomato soup and grilled cheese. grains, kefir, fruit and honey for breakfast. pies and pies and pies. i attempt to not post redundantly.
i try to reserve my gushing for things that deserve it, which this humble sauce most certainly does. so much that as i was cooking it, i somehow swiped a sauce-laden wooden spoon across my dry-clean-only silk skirt and stood there with it rucked up around my waist, stained fabric reflexively sucked into my mouth. but i was so distracted by how insanely punchy and good the sauce was that i momentarily forgot all dry-cleaning bill irritation and just wanted to swim in it. forgiven and forgotten eaten.

this sauce is vibrant, sweet but puckery: as amanda and merrill so aptly phrased it, it "seamlessly blends elements of jam (ginger and sugar) and pickling (mustard seeds and vinegar)." i swapped out pork tenderloin for smoked tofu (an 8oz soyboy package, so good it's making me consider investing in a bottle of liquid smoke so i can make my own) which i pan fried in some sesame oil, and i served it with some brown rice and garlicky bok choy. those were all delicious, but i just want to talk about the sauce, with which you can do what you will. i imagine it would be phenomenal on almost any kind of meat, but also on gyoza, spring rolls, soft cheese on toast, spicy chinese broccoli, buckwheat noodles, fried shrimp, ice cream (oh christ that would be insane), congee...try it with whatever you like. i hope it turns you into a skirt-slurper too.
plum sauce
recipe from mrs. wheelbarrow, via food52
makes enough to sauce 4 main course proteiny things, but i would highly recommend doubling it and freezing/jarring some for the dead of winter, or just keeping it in your fridge for shameless snacking

• 1 lb pitted, chopped plums - recipe suggests prune plums, but earlier season plums will make a lovely, but more tart, sauce. i used red plums.
  
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, less if your fruit is very sweet
  
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion
• 1 minced jalapeno or other hot pepper, depending on personal preference for heat: leave seeds & ribs in (hotter), or remove (i just used a liberal smattering of crushed red pepper flakes)
  
• 1 tsp mustard seed, cracked
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp candied ginger
• salt and pepper to taste (it didn't need much, honestly)

bring all ingredients except plums to a boil. stir in the plums. reduce heat and simmer very slowly until thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes.

depending on your preference for consistency, either puree in small batches in the blender, blend with a stick blender, or mash with a potato masher. i just gave it a rough mashing with a fork, leaving it slightly chunky. serve with whatever your heart desires.