Plum Crumble

Plum crumble is one of the favorite things I like to bake. The gurgling redness of the baked plums is so irresistibly attractive and yumm. I also trick myself into thinking it is a healthy dessert, being fruit based and baked. Add to that it is so incredibly easy to make, with very little washing to do after. I brought this to a potluck Christmas party with friends I have known all my life. Being friends that long means I can never get away with criticisms with my cooking/baking, no matter how constructive they are. But this particular one, they like it to bits! One comment was that it is not cloyingly sweet, and has some tartness to it that's just so appealing. Another friend has been asking the whole night what went into the crumble.

Although we didnt have some that night, this is best eaten with vanilla ice cream and still fresh out of the oven. Whipped cream would be great too, though I can imagine the calories would be too noticeable to ignore. I also finally was able to use my baking dishes as shown, which I got for a song at the outlet store.

Plum Crumble

From Marketmanila, adapted from Martha Stewart

1 kilo plums

Half a lemon

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

butter, for greasing

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups cold butter, cut into small squares

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I used rolled oats)

Cut plums into eighths and place in your greased oven-proof bowl, pitted but with skins on. Spritz with lemon and add 1/2 cup of white sugar and the cornstarch. Toss gently.

To make the crumble, mix together flour, 2 sugars, cinnamon and salt. Mash the mixture with the cold butter until it resembles an uneven crumble. Do not overwork the butter or it will melt. Mix in the oats.

Sprinkle the crumble over the plums unevenly. Make sure to put it evenly or a little bit heavier on the sides as it might sink in the middle. Bake at 375F until the juices are gurgling and the crumble is golden brown. Mine took about 40 minutes.

I will try this with another fruit next time, perhaps some peaches as Marketman suggests, or pears. The crumble is a winner by itself, so any fruit you fancy I'm sure will work well with this recipe. Definitely a keeper :-)