How do you gage it?

I feel like an over excited courtier.Its August and here she comes, the Queen of plums, Rainha Claudia, La Reine Claude, Lady Greengage,call her what you will depending on the country in which you are putting her in your basket,cesta or corbeille de fruits.Gauging by the reactions of our recent guests, this August Queen Claude is going down a right royal storm.Cleaned up fruit plates return from the breakfast table to the kitchen every morning, and this makes me very happy. For me there are few more beautiful things than a bowl of greengages in August.I get all plummed up about their pale emerald/ blue/ yellow hues with a milky patina.They cook as well as they eat.My favourite way with the `gage´ is Tarte Rainha Claudia com massa Amendoa, a greengage and almond frangipane, the perfect August pudding, but this year I decided to try something simpler.Earlier this summer I cooked nesperas on the griddle ,so simple and so delicious so I thought I would try a similar trick with our Augustian queen.I was happy to find that one can use the almond scented kernel, nestling within the tough stone of the greengage to make a sort of almond liquor.Needless to say I was too pushed busywise to do this, but it did inspire me to use the almond idea to make a marinade for the greengages to sit in after I grilled them.

Griddled grengages with pistachios and almond greek yoghurt

4 -6 Greengages depending on their size
Juice of 2 oranges
1 tbsp of Almond liquor
1/2 tbsp of muscavado sugar
125g greek yoghurt

Halve and stone the Greengages and lightly grill them cut side down on a screamingly hot slightly greased griddle pan. In a small bowl, add the orange juice, the almond liquor, the sugar and mix well. Pour this marinade on top of the grilled fruits and let them marinate for 30 minutes.Serve the greengages cold with the greek yoghurt and a scattering of chopped pistachios.