Marian Burros's Plum Crumble

It's only taken me two years, but on Friday night I finally, finally, got around to trying Marian Burros's plum crumble. Longtime readers of this site will remember back when I made her fabled plum torte with somewhat unspectacular results. I felt like such a Grinch that day, just as I did when I made Marion Cunningham's yeasted waffles and didn't like them. There's something intimidating about famous recipes, isn't there? Something that makes you feel pressured into liking them, even if, secretly, you don't. (I actually plan on trying the torte again soon, with less sugar and a smaller pan. But more on that another time.)

Luckily, Marian's crumble isn't world-renowned the way its cakey cousin is. But that doesn't mean it's not deserving of fame and fortune. Glittering with translucent dots of spicy, candied ginger, its craggy, crunchy top a perfect bed for rivulets of melting ice cream or thick, poured cream, this crumble is a stunner. The topping comes together a little like streusel - hand-formed clumps of dough strewn over the halved and sugared plums. But then you pour a flood of melted butter over the topping, which, after baking, fuses the clumps together into a sweet and spicy cookie of sorts. Wielding your spoon and a judicious scoop of ice cream for its softening powers, you break through the topping to find purply-soft plums beneath, cooked to a jammy, sweet-sour pulp.

I always thought crumbles were softer affairs, more fruit than topping, with a fluffier crumb. But I'm happy to make this crumble the standard-bearer, the crumble to beat all other crumbles. Actually, wait. I should point out one or two things first. When I make this again, I'll be doing a few things differently.

First, I'll be doubling the amount of fruit. Cooked plums are such a gift that it seems silly to skimp on them, especially when I'd be happy eating them by the bowlful most of the time. Which leads me to my next point, a larger dish. If you double the amount of fruit, you could keep using the 9-inch pie plate, or you could throw the fruit and topping into a casserole dish, spreading your fortunes out a bit. This would turn the topping into more of a pebbly punctuation among the juicy plums than a solid mass capping it all. And lastly, go easy on the salt, people. There's a fine line to toe and it's just a little too easy to stray over that line sometimes.

Just to make things even more perfect, this crumble, with a dollop of plain yogurt, after impressing dinner guests to no end on Friday, doubles as a lovely Sunday breakfast. Cold from the fridge, the plums jelled to a squidgy consistency, the spices tamed by the cooling yogurt - well, all I can say is that you should try it, you really should.

I'm so glad I can love this crumble unequivocally. And maybe even start a little following that could snowball into a world-wide movement. But if you decide you don't like it, don't be afraid to admit it. That's not the way we roll around here. It wouldn't be quite fair, would it? A chacun son gout and that's that.

Plum Crumble
Serves 6 to 8

12 purple Italian or prune plums, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (easy, easy here - maybe even just 1/8 teaspoon)
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, optional

1. Place plums in medium bowl. Heat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center.

2. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground ginger and the candied ginger. Add to plums and mix well. Arrange plums skin side up in ungreased, deep 9-inch pie plate.

3. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, baking powder, remaining flour and cinnamon and the salt. Mix well. Stir in egg. Using hands, mix thoroughly to produce little particles. Sprinkle over plums.

4. Drizzle butter evenly over crumb mixture and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Crumble is done when top is browned and plums yield easily when pricked with cake tester. Remove from oven and cool.

5. Serve crumble warm or refrigerate for up to two days or freeze, well covered. If reheating, bring to room temperature, then warm at 300 degrees. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Note: If you decide, like me, to double the amount of plums to 24, just remember to change the amounts of the sugar and spices that you toss the plums in, too. I'd do 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar to taste, 3 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 3 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped candied ginger.

Comments

[Mary]

Gorgeous! This recipe looks like a winner and I like your plans for the next go-round. Love the blue and white tablecloth.

[deb]

Ah, so this is how the recipe is supposed to look! I messed it up in so many ways when I made it last month, I didn't even want to own up to it and deleted the photos. I am sure it would have helped if I had actually paid attention to the instructions, but what fun would that be? It looks delicious, nevertheless, and I am happy to hear with a little direction-following, it is a worthwhile effort.

[Molly]

Ooooh! I LOVE this crumble! I made it that first summer that it was published, and then again last September, for my birthday. It really is spectacular.

And cold? With plain yogurt (Liberte, I assume)? You're a genius.

xo!

[Hillary]

Plum crumble looks awesome next to some yogurt like that...very creative!

[Tea]

And I have a bagfull of plums, fresh off Shauna's tree--I will be joining your movement soon!

[lindy]

mmm. This is obviously the proper sort of thing to do with plums.

[Mercedes]

Oh, I just saw beautiful green gage plums at the market today. Do you think it would work with those? I've never baked with green gage plums before, but I read once somewhere that they are the best plum for baking. Then again they're green, so you wouldn't have that bubbling purple sweetness like in your gorgeous photo of that slice.

[Lydia]

I love cooked plums and never do enough when they're in season. This looks like the kind of recipe that even a bake-o-phobe like me could pull off -- and I intend to try!

[Luisa]

Mary - thank you! Another score from the Berlin Flohmarkt ;) Stay tuned for the torte remix.

Deb - it's a worthwhile endeavor for sure, but I'd love to know, too, what you did differently!

Molly - yes, Liberte all the way. As for the pairing, all credit goes to my dad who was visiting and scrounging for breakfast early Sunday while we still slept. I followed his suit later in the day and well, yes, inspired indeed.

Hillary - awesome and delicious!

Tea - way to make me envious. Freshly picked plums from a friend's backyard, no less. Are you having a hard time not eating them all, raw, out of the basket? I know I would...

Lindy - oh no, don't feel discouraged. Your brioche will be saved, I know it. Or else, a good substitute will be found. I know I still owe the internets a post on Pflaumenkuchen.

Mercedes - greeeeeen gaaaaaaaaaaage, my favorite plums of all time. You could certainly make this crumble with those, though I'd cut back a little on the sugar, as those green plums can sometimes be much sweeter than the prune version. Though I find it even more difficult to restrain myself from eating the greengages raw, because they're all swollen and plump with juice and just bursting with sweetness and light. They make a STELLAR jam, too. Have fun!

Lydia - aren't cooked plums the best? Cooked prunes, too... Mmmmm

[shauna]

i love this crumble recipe! Two years ago, I adapted it to be gluten-free. yum. I made it three times. Last year, I made it so many times for the Chef that he grew tired of crumbles. I didn't think that could happen. he claims he's tired of them again now, after all the blueberry and apple crumbles I've been making. But how can he resist one made with the plums from our tree? please.

I wish to heavens we could find liberte yogurt here!

[hottub johnny]

What happens with the skin of the plums when they cook? Do they disintegrate into the fruit mix? I made a tart with peaches last year and the recipe kept the skins on -when cooked the skins left an unpleasant texture when eaten.

[Melissa]

Ooh, I love this crumble too! For the record, it's nothing like any crumble I've had before, though strangely enough I have had a cobbler or two that seemed more up its alley. But what's in a name? The important thing is that it is soooo good, and now that you've reminded me of it I'm kicking myself for having already devoured the three pounds of greengages I bought on Sunday. Arrrgh!

[Victoria]

Hey, Luisa,

Now that the prune plums are about the appear, I will try this! It looks great. I did keep a copy of this recipe when it was first published but never got around to trying it. I may have to go for Total full fat Greek Yogurt with it! By the way, I made your tomatoes stuffed with arborio rice over the weekend. Absolutely delicious; a major keeper. You picked the right word for it - sludgy. It was too hot upstate on Saturday to turn even the mudroom oven on, so I cooked my leg of lamb outside on the grill and passed on these puppies. But Sunday was cool and wonderful, and even though I was making lamb curry with the leftovers from the roast, I made the tomatoes. They are a GREAT accompaniment to my lamb curry, which is not tomato based. And I did the whole over-the-top thing and sliced a peeled Idaho potato into the pan before I popped it into the oven. I am still licking my chops. Thanks a million.

[Chef Tom]

Yum ! I love plums, but the last few I've gotten at the market tasted horrible. I gotta head out to a farm stand so I can make this recipe !

[Diane]

Just stumbled upon your site and your crumble looks wonderful. Can't wait to try the recipe with plums, have only made crumbles with apples and pears so far.

[claudia]

hiya - i just posted this on the older plum cake post you'd made but luisa - we may not know each other - but trust me and try this...the rustic plum cake from cooks illusatrated aug. '08 edition. i just blogged about it last weekend and girl.... it was WONDERFUL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Luisa]

Shauna - I remember when you tried this the first time! I wish you could find Liberte there, too. Wonder if it's available over the border in BC? It's Canadian after all...

Hottub Johnny - peach skin has that fuzz, which I think makes the skin a little tougher, even when cooking. I happen to like fruit skins, even cooked, but the truth is you don't even notice them in this plum dish. Cooked plums just get all silky and jammy.

Melissa - okay, but if I had 3 pounds of greengages lying around, I'd have eaten them all raw, too. ;)

Victoria - wonderful, I'm so glad you liked the tomatoes! Aren't they great? And you added the potato, perfect!

Tom - while the outdoor markets are still crammed with fruit, I don't even bother with the grocery store fruit! I have to get that good stuff in while I can. Hope you like this!

Diane - welcome! Apple and pear crumble seems more traditional, but once you try this, you might find it's your favorite. There's still a teeny sliver left - it's not too late to eat it for breakfast today, right? Noo, of course not. ;)

Claudia - I trust you, I trust you! If you like things called rustic plum cakes, then I trust you wholeheartedly... I'm off to find the recipe and get cracking!

[mbbored]

I tried this recipe last night, using regular plums. Even after a longer stay in the oven, they never really turned to goo, but stayed whole. It was still incredible, and my friends begged me to make it again, maybe with peaches next time.

[Jan Ran]

What a coincidence. I made this recipe 3 times in the last few weeks--once with peaches & blueberries and without the ginger. (I even used the same baking dish as you!) I made it when it first came out two years ago. I think of it more as a cobbler than a crumble. I love the crunchy crust.

[beach_cook]

Mercedes, Luisa, anyone lucky enough to have greengages:
Where have you found them?!

It's been years since I last bought some in Toronto/Niagara & I'd be thrilled to find some again.

Bottled them - washed, dried, pricked several times with a needle, gently poached in light syrup, hotpack, splash of Japanese plum wine in each pint, boiling syrup to fill - absolutely divine aroma ?appleblossoms. Alas, long gone.

Barbara

[Luisa]

mbbored - how interesting that your plums didn't get all jammy. Were you using those Italian prune plums that are oval and small? Glad you and your friends liked it!

Jan Ran - peaches and blueberries! Genius. And damn! I think the last of the blueberries are gone.

Beach cook - I found them at the Union Sq. Greenmarket in NYC, but they're never there for long...maybe a week or two? Your preparation does indeed sound divine...

[Mercedes]

I finally made the green gage plum and pistachio crisp, and you're right, it was wonderful! I got the green gages at new york's green market (at thompson square). I did have to cook it a bit longer for the plums to soften, about 45 minutes. I've put the post with pictures here:
http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/2007/09/green-gage-plum-and-pistachio-crisp.html

[Luisa]

Mercedes - that looks totally luscious. So beautiful, all those soft, muted pinks and greens and beiges!

[diana Young]

I have been reading the comments and recipes for plum crumble and hope someone can solve my plum problem. I have a plum tree (Santa Rosa, I think) which produces hundreds of delicious plums. They are sweet and juicy when raw but if I cook them they turn extremely sour. A lot of sugar doesn't seem to help. Does anyone know why this happens? Is there any cure?

[wanda]

Help!I have the same problem. I just made this wonderful recipe with the sweet plums from our Santa Rosa tree. It is so sour. Now I have a huge bowl cut up and ready to cook, but how?

[Otilia]

Thank you so much for this recipe. I did it on saturday and it was a total success! My friends and I loved it. We ate it all 1 less than 1 hour :P ( 8 people). When I realised I have forgotten to take a pic, it was too late. :D haha.