Plum and Blackberry Crumble
Plum and Blackberry Crumble
In general, I find crumbles (and cobblers and crisps) to be very simple and universally appealing. They’re relatively easy to prepare, easy to serve, easy to eat, and also easily made ahead. Plums and blackberries are two things that I wait very patiently for…all year! When they’re finally juicy, sweet, and ripe, I go a little overboard and end up with a ton of leftover fruit in the house, which is where this recipe came from. I’ve had great results with peaches and plums or even cherries and plums as well, but pitting all those cherries was tedious and I’ll probably never do it again.
Serves 8
Ingredients
6 oz fresh blackberries
4 red plums, pitted and quartered
4 black plums, pitted and quartered
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tbsp crème de cassis
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest
Topping:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp kosher salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Method
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, gently toss blackberries, plums, flour, brown sugar, crème de cassis, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest together until well combined. Pour this mixture into a 9”x12” (or similar size) shallow baking dish. [I used an oval 12”x9”x3” baking dish.] Set aside.
For the topping, combine the flour, oats, sugars, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the diced butter to the bowl and, using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter, break up the chunks of butter until they are about the size of peas. Spread this topping evenly over the plums and blackberries.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving (otherwise the juices may be too runny).
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.