Double Crusted Plum Crumble
A couple weeks ago on a drive through Sebastopol on our way to Bodega Bay we passed Luther Burbank farm. Known locally in his day as “the wizard” because of his experimental horticultural endeavors, Luther Burbank spent more than 50 years successfully cultivating over 800 plants such as the russet potato, the Shasta daisy, and the freestone peach. I later learned from a piece on the radio that Luther Burbank created 113 plum varieties including the Santa Rosa plum and the plumcot—an impressive accomplishment since he started his experimenting with plums in 1885; both Santa Rosa plum and plumcots are still well-known varieties and in many local backyard gardens today, over a century later. Serendipitously, I came home to a basket of plums left for me by a neighbor; clearly, a plum crumble was in my near future. Maybe though, I was just looking for an excuse to bake (OK —eat) one of my favorite summertime desserts. There are many different versions of fruit desserts like crumble: the topping is what defines the name, according to Cory Schreiber the founder of the Moosewood Restaurant. The recipe below is a crumble or crisp because of the streusel topping. If it had a biscuit crust, it would be a cobbler. A betty has a buttered bread topping, and a pandowdy is topped with crumbled biscuits.
This recipe is from the cookbook rustic fruit desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson. This cookbook is well worth buying and you can get it used, as I did a few years back. This recipe has a lot of fruit in it, which works well with the double crust because you get a bit of crunch on the top and the juice from the fruit seeps through into the bottom. I serve it with some crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream—warm, cold, or room temperature. It comes together quickly and stores well. I had some for breakfast the next day and it was even better with a cup of coffee.
You can also substitute another fruit or a combination of sweet and tart fruits: for instance, peaches and raspberries, apricots and cherries, or nectarines and blackberries.
Serves 6-8
Streusel: (top and bottom layer)
1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
¾ cup of packed light brown sugar
big pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
Filling:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 cups of quartered plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, raspberries, or nectarines or a combination of any two
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Assemble the crumble:
Preheat the oven to 350°
1. Slice the butter up into chunks and place in a glass measuring cup. Set the microwave to medium power and cook for 30 seconds or until melted. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine and then pour in the melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the mixture is evenly moist. Pat half the mixture into an 8” square baking pan.
3. Into another medium sized bowl add the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Rub the mixture with your fingertips, completely combining the cornstarch and salt into the sugar. Add the quartered fruit and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
4. Add the fruit to the bottom layer of streusel and sprinkle the remaining streusel over the top. Bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown and listen for the sound of the bubbling fruit below the crust, which means it is ready.
Rest at least 20 minutes before serving—not you, the crumble :-)…
Adapted from rustic fruit desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson.
