Penne with Roasted Plum and Herbed Blue Cheese Sauce - PUBLISHED

http://www.tastedefined.com/2013/05/plum-pasta-salad-with-blue-cheese.html

1 - Delicious, with several changes, and it isn't so much a pasta salad as a hot pasta dish, so that's changing!
2 - Still delicious - a rich meal because of the fatty cheese; more plums was recommended since the freshness of the fruit helps balance the oil. Also, a sprinkle of toasted nuts, of course, goes well with blue cheese.

3 cups Penne pasta
18 Italian Prune plums, smallish, quartered
pinch of cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp honey
1 Tbsp light oil
1 small onion, finely minced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup chives + basil + parsley (finely chopped)
3 oz Cambozola cheese, diced (for easy melting)
1/4 tsp black pepper powder (coarsely ground)
salt to taste
2 Tbsps toasted nuts (walnuts or pine nuts or pecans)
Optional: lettuce leaves and 5 to 6 tsps extra virgin olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Set the pasta water to boil.
3. Arrange the quartered plums on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with the cinnamon drizzle a thin stream of honey on each one, not too much! Roast for about 5-7 minutes at 350F.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
5. In a fry pan cook the onion in the Tbsp of oil until completely soft but not browned.
6. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
7. To the onions add the herbs, cheese and pepper. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta and toss, cooking, adding a few Tbsps of the pasta water. The pasta water will reduce and help create a creamy, more consistent sauce, combining oils with the starch in the water from the pasta. This will only take a couple of minutes. Taste and season with salt
8. Add half the roasted plums and toss.
9. If serving as a cold salad, arrange over lettuce leaves, aesthetically place the remaining plums on top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. 
10. If serving as a hot dish, arrange remaining plums on top and serve immediately.