Make. This. Now. - Plum Crumble

I want to sit quietly in a corner devouring this dessert as fast as I possibly can. The only reason to bring the fork out of my mouth is to scoop up another bite. I don't know how I'll be able to share! This is beyond delicious. If this is what fall portends, I say bring it on. I'm already dreaming up other fruit combinations for this dessert. I'll never stray from the topping though, it's pretty much perfect. I weep with the perfection of this plum crumble.

I love plum desserts. The second I saw this recipe on Orangette I knew I'd be bringing one of these out of the oven soon. I biked down to my farmer's market this morning (I got a bike!) and hightailed it over to the fruit stands, where there were some perfectly beautiful Black Kat plums and some other Italian varietals. I chose a combination and peddled home as fast as I could.

I adapted this only slightly. Molly's original recipe calls for crystallized ginger, of which I am not a huge fan. But I'd used cardamom in several desserts earlier this summer (in this cardamom peach pie and in these plum puffs) and thought that would be a perfect substitute. Lo and behold, it was. In the absence of a glass baking dish, I used a square cake pan. I cooked it about 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for, but you should check yours often to be sure it doesn't overcook. Finally, I only used about 10 large plums (the original calls for 12-14). I was using a smaller dish, but when it comes to plums, I say the more the merrier.





Plum Crumble
adapted from Orangette

For the plums:
2 Tbsp. lightly packed brown sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cardamom
10-15 plums, halved and pitted (depending on how large your baking dish is and how big the plums are, best to eyeball it)

For the topping:
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten well
7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375, with a rack in the middle of the oven.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Add the plums, and gently combine. Arrange the plums skin side up in an ungreased deep 9-inch pie plate, cake pan or a large glass dish if you have more plums.

In a second bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the topping the sugar through the salt. Whisk to blend well and then add the egg. Combine by using your hands, mixing thoroughly and squeezing and pinching the dough together until it creates a shaggy mess.

Spoon the butter evenly over the topping, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and the plums yield easily when pricked with toothpick. Cool.

Molly suggest serving this with creme fraiche or yogurt, I also think it would be fantastic with vanilla ice cream or some homemade whipped cream. But be warned! You might not want to share!

Yield: about 6 servings

Note: To reheat leftovers, it’s best to do it slowly, in an oven set to 300 degrees.