Crisps taste like pie, but are much easier to make! Make this crisp while the plums are in season!
A crisp is a dessert where fruit is covered with a topping that is crisp and crumbly when baked. The crisp topping usually consists of butter, sugar, flour and sometimes oatmeal. The oatmeal gives the crisp a crunchy texture. When the crisp is baked the fruit filling will release its juices and bubble into the topping. Early recipes for crisps were made using apples, but many other fruits can be used in crisps now like blueberries and plums!
I have experienced many types of crisps in my life at picnics and potlucks, but my introduction to plum crisp was because of the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. I had seen her prepare it on her television show and I thought that the recipe was so easy and clever!
I did not eat a lot of plums growing up back east, but I got to experience tons of different types of plums when I moved to California. The farmer’s markets in California had red plums, purple plums, and yellow plums. They even had plum and apricot hybrids called pluots that also tasted great.
With all these plum options I figured it would only make sense to try to create a new version of a plum crisp. At my local farmer’s market, I saw baskets of beautiful red plums and I was entranced. I sampled some of their crimson flesh and knew they would taste great if I turned them into a crisp. I hope you find your own magical tasting plums and create my crisp recipe. Please enjoy!
Crunchy Plum Crisp Recipe
Yields 8-10 servings
Specialty Tool: 2-Quart Baking dish
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Wine Pairing Suggestion: Port
Drink Pairing Suggestion: Milk
Ingredients
Filling:
2 pounds red plums, pitted and quartered
3 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
Topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup crushed almonds
8 ounces cold unsalted butter, diced
Serve with: Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large bowl, mix together the plums and the orange juice until the plums are well coated.
Add the 2 tablespoons all purpose flour and the 3/4 cup brown sugar, to the bowl and gently mix everything together.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
To make the topping, take a large bowl and combine together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, oatmeal, crushed almonds, and cold butter.
Be careful to keep the butter cold.
Add the topping to the fruit in the baking dish.
Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the plums are bubbly.
Let the crisp rest for 10 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tastes great with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream!
Feel free to omit the almonds if you have a nut allergy.
Variations: Purple, black, and yellow plums also work well in this dish! Buy what is available at your local farmer’s market.
DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?
Tag @culinary_cupcake when you upload your photo on Instagram and hashtag #culinary_cupcake
Culinary Cupcake 