Well, it feels like a crumble sort of a day
it’s cold,
it’s dreary,
and, it’s dank.
Fear not, a crumble will sort you out, if your heart has sank.
It’s cosy and warming to the core,
(that’s good to know as I’m chilled to the bone),
given today’s weather, a crumble certainly fits the tone.
A humble plum crumble with lashings of steaming hot custard.
The food equivalent of a roaring log fire; cosy and warming to the core,
here’s a super quick recipe, for when you walk through the door x
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Recipe —
For the plum compote
Ingredients
- 800g plums (2x 400g punnet)
- 300ml boiling water
- 1 dessert spoon mixed spice
- 2 whole star anise
- Optional – 30g light brown sugar, or to taste
Method
- Remove the stones from the plums and rough chop
- Pour the boiling water into a saucepan
- Add any sugar and bring to the boil for 30 seconds
- Now add the plums, mixed spice and star anise and simmer for around 10 minutes
- Towards the end, stir gently until the compote thickens. Remove the star anise then pour into an oven safe gratin dish
For the crumble topping
Ingredients
- 100g wholemeal flour
- 50g rolled porridge oats
- 30g light brown sugar
- 75g vegan margarine (or regular butter if non-vegan, at room temperature, cut into pieces)
Custard, to serve (or see recipe below)
Method
- Now make the crumble topping. Start by heating your oven to 190C/ 170C fan/ gas mark 5
- Add the flour, oats and sugar in to a large bowl and stir well to combine
- Add the margarine by rubbing into the flour mix using your fingertips and being careful not to overwork the crumble or it will become heavy. Aim for a light breadcrumb texture
- Spread the breadcrumbs over the plum compote and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crumble topping has taken on a little colour
For the custard
Ingredients
- 450ml soya milk (or, full-fat milk if you’re not vegan)
- 2tbsp light brown sugar
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 2tbsp organic cornflour
- 2tbsp cold water
Method
- While the crumble is in the oven prepare the custard
- Add the milk, vanilla extract and sugar to a saucepan and simmer
- In a small bowl dissolve the cornflour in the water and add this to the saucepan, continuing to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Whisk regularly to thicken the custard
When ready, pour into a custard jug then place in the centre of your table alongside the plum crumble and dig in! x
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