Italian Plum Crumble

This Italian Plum Crumble recipe is a classic end of summer dessert (or breakfast!) tailor made for the best plums you can find.

I’ve never eaten fresh Italian plums before, I’ve only eaten them in their less glamorous incarnation, as prunes. They’re one of the last stragglers to come into season this summer and I bought some just because they were beautiful. I’d be content just to look at them til they rot, like a bunch of flowers.

But my curiosity is getting the better of me. I assembled this crumble freehand, no recipes or measuring. You can do it too. Rustic fruit crisps and crumbles lend themselves to this approach, and with all the fall apples and pears just about to flood the market, now is the time to master the technique. Just imagine the slap of the screen door slamming behind you as you breeze in with an apron-load of just picked fruit. You set to slicing it up over your cavernous farmhouse sink, then scoop a little of this and a little of that, rub in a generous slab of just churned butter, sprinkle it all casually over the fruit and pop your handed-down-through-the-generations pie plate into the oven. You wipe your hands on your apron, and move on.

I’ve set it out in an easy 12 step program for you if you just can’t seem to step away from the recipe file…strap on your apron and lets get going.

Step 1: Just about any fruit that can be baked into a pie can become a crumble. All stone fruits, all berries, rhubarb, apples, pears, etc. can be baked in this style. Even fruits that you don’t normally associate with crumbles might be good…don’t forget about figs, cranberries, and persimmons. What about a coconut macadamia pineapple crumble?

Step 2: The amount of fruit you need is flexible. Just cut enough to fill the bottom of your baking dish if you want a thin layer of fruit, or add more for a deeper layer of fruit. Doesn’t matter.

Step 3: The way you cut the fruit is up to you, too. You can use thin elegant slices, large chunks, or even leave halves intact.

Step 4: If your fruit tends to go brown after it’s cut, squeeze a little lemon juice over it. If it’s especially tart, add a tablespoon of sugar. Taste as you go.

Step 5:  You may want to flavor the fruit. You can add vanilla, almond, maple or any other extract, alcohol or liqueur. I used a splash of dark rum. 

Step 6:  Some people like to add a thickener to the fruit so it’s not runny. I don’t. I like the juices to run. But if you want it thicker like a pie filling, you can sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour or corn starch. Mix it in well. I like to use Wondra flour for this kind of thing, it never clumps.