Fresh Plum Crumble

If I were to ask you to name your favorite fresh summer fruit, my guess is that a plum would be far from the top of the list. Truly, the plum is unappreciated, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Sweet, juicy, with a tasty and nutritious skin (not to mention the antioxidants), plums make a great snack. When turned into jam, chutney, coffeecake, or dessert, they are downright delicious. If you've never made a summer dessert out of plums before, now is the time.

This recipe is from Taste of Home magazine. I adapted it from the original that called for 7 medium plums. I have no idea what a medium plum is. There are regular plums and baby plums. Is one considered large and the other small, in which case, what is a medium?  No matter, I selected two packages of organic plums from Melissa's Produce and that worked out just right.

Everyone who has tried this crumble absolutely loves it. I included a large piece when I made a dinner drop at my dad's and he deemed it outstanding. I agree. It is easy to assemble, requires no special equipment, and I give you permission to pop a couple of plum pieces into your mouth while baking. Serve this warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or without.  You'll be wishing you'd bought double the amount of plums once you taste this delicious summer dessert.

It's plum season!  Celebrate!

Fresh Plum Crumble

1 pkg. Melissa's Organic Plumcots, pitted and quartered

1 pkg. Melissa's Organic Plum Bites, pitted and quartered

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons plus 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the plums, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Spoon into a greased 2-qt. baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, salt, mace and remaining flour. Add egg; stir with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over plum mixture. Drizzle with butter.

Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until plums are tender and top is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.

This post is linked to:

Melt In Your Mouth 
Inspire Me Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Stone Fruit Crumble with Raspberries

 

Isn't it amazing how our tastes change from season to season?  In the winter, I never think about fruit. Winter is all vegetables for me, and in all sorts of warming comfort food dishes. Once the weather warms though, I can't wait to sink my teeth into the fruits of summer. 

I am a big “stone fruit” fan, and, yes I love every one of them from the myriad available. This morning I was eyeing two boxes of stone fruits from Melissa's, one package of plum bites, and the other of peach bites.  At the same time that I was eyeing these, I was thawing a bag of frozen raspberries that my dad found in his freezer and gave to me. The wheels started turning, and thus I give you, the amazingly easy, super delicious, Stone Fruit Crumble with Raspberries!  This, my friends, is how a recipe is born.  Served hot or at room temperature, with ice cream or not, it is a wonderful taste of summer that everyone will enjoy.

Stone Fruit Crumble with Raspberries

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

Pinch of salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes

1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

1 box (1 lb.) of Melissa’s Organic Peach Bites pitted and large diced

1 box (1 lb.) of Melissa’s Plum Bites pitted and large diced

1/4 -1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Pulse flour, sugar, macadamias, and salt in a food processor until nuts are chopped and all is mixed. Add butter and pulse until mixture begins to clump.

Place fruit in a medium mixing bowl and toss gently with sugar.  Taste the mixture to avoid over or under sweetening.  The amount you need depends upon the tartness of your fruit.

Spread fruit in an 8” deep-dish pie plate and cover evenly with topping, mounding in the center.

Bake crumble in middle of oven until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Cover with foil if topping begins to get too brown.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday

Inspiration Gallery Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Be Inspired Friday

 Show and Tell Friday 

Foodie Friday

Plum Bite Crumble

I think that plums are underappreciated fruits.  My favorite of the stone fruits, they are sweet, juicy, and deeply red indicating that they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, and are a good source of vitamin C.  I have used them in many recipes; one of my favorites is Plum Streusel Coffeecake.  This afternoon, though, I wanted to make a dessert appropriate for an evening meal, so settled on a plum crumble.  As was the case with the coffeecake mentioned above, I had to battle Mr. O-P for the plums (I’m going to have to find a much better hiding place!), leaving me making a smaller dessert than I’d hoped, but no less delicious.  I imagine this would be tasty topped with vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream, but I wanted nothing to compete with the “plum” deliciousness, so ate it plain. Yummy!

Plum Bite Crumble

Topping 

½ cup, plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch cardamom

1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling

1 pound Melissa’s Organic Plum Bites, pitted, cut into wedges

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon brandy

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make crumb topping:

Put flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom into the work bowl of your food processor.  Pulse until mixed (about 3 times). Add the butter and pulse 5-8 times until the mixture forms a coarse meal. Place mixture into a medium bowl and squeeze together with your fingers to form large-ish crumbs.  Set aside, or, if you like, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

To make plum filling:

Toss plums, sugar, and brandy together in a medium bowl.  Mix to make sure the fruit is well coated.  Spread into the bottom of a small baking dish or ramekins. Sprinkle crumb topping over fruit. Bake on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet (to make clean-up a breeze) until fruit bubbles and topping browns, about 50 minutes (less if using ramekins). Cool slightly before serving.

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sundays

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday