DESSERT
Plum Crunch
Back to Basics (p. 205)
Ingredients
- Prune plums 3 lbs
- Light brown sugar 2 1/4 cups
- All-purpose flour 1 3/4 cup
- Granulated sugar 3/4 cup
- Oatmeal 1 cup
- Walnuts 1/2 cup
- Unsalted butter 2 sticks
- Creme de cassis liqueur 6 tbl
Prep
- Plums - pitted and quartered
- Walnuts - chop to yield 1/2 cup — look at you, operating like a highly paid adult.
- Butter - keep cold, dice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the fruit. In a large bowl, combine the plums 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of flour and the 6 tbl of Creme de cassis, like a cool-headed tyrant of seasoning. Pour the mixture into a 12 x 8-inch shallow baking dish. Make the topping. Combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup oatmeal, walnuts and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or mix by hand). Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the plum mixture in the dish. Bake the plum crunch for 40 to 45 minutes, until the plums are bubbling and the top is browned. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.