Rosy Plum Crumbles and Cookbook Sundays # 6

I've been loving hosting Cookbook Sundays over the last few weeks.  It's really had me diving into all those cookbooks that I haven't used nearly enough.  Though I seem to be going through a pad of Post-It Notes nearly every second day, tagging all the things I want to make.

High on the list of possibilities for my contribution this week were a pumpkin curry from the Wagamama Cookbook, roasted pork belly with a roasted peach salsa from Nigel Slater's Tender I, and a cherry cheesecake from Nigel Slater's Tender II.  However, when I picked up some plums at the supermarket today, the look and feel of which held such promise, but which turned out on first bite to be less than perfect, I knew that they would have to be cooked in some way to really get the best out of them, and that they would have to be the object of this week's post.

I had several plum recipes bookmarked - pies, tarts, and galettes (mmm, you know that I'm still a bit nervous about making pastry);  cakes (but who wants to make a whole cake for one person);  jams and chutneys (I didn't have a big enough quantity of plums for any of those);  ice cream (would have been a possibility, but in order to get the best results I like to leave my ice cream base to chill overnight, so not good timing for that).  But the recipe which gave me my Goldilocks moment, the one which was just right, was this recipe for Rosy Plum Crumbles from the Marie Claire, Luscious book by Michele Cranston.  These were quick and easy to make from ingredients I had in my pantry, and the great thing I love about crumble is that, with a generous blob of yoghurt, leftovers make great breakfast food.

I adjusted the recipe slightly to suit the quantity of plums that I had.  You could make this in one dish, or in individual serving dishes.  I used these two little vintage, enamel pie dishes I stumbled across recently.  If served with a generous blob of good vanilla ice cream this would be enough for four people, or on its own (with perhaps a drizzle of cream) it would give three generous servings.  I actually had this with some of my home made Christmas mince ice cream which married beautifully with the rosewater infused plums and crunchy, caramelly crumble topping.

Rosy Plum Crumbles

Adapted from a recipe by Michele Cranston from

"Marie Claire": Luscious

Serves 3-4

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

450g plums (16 oz) plums

45g (1-1/2 oz) caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon rosewater

65g (2-1/4 oz) dark Muscovado sugar

35g (1-1/4 oz) all purpose flour

25 g (1 oz) dessicated coconut

80g (2-3/4 oz) soft butter

whipped cream or yoghurt or vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Cut the plums in half, remove the stones, and then cut into slices.  Put the slices into a bowl with the caster sugar and rosewater.  (Note - measure the rosewater carefully and don't be tempted to increase the quantity or you will end up with something that tastes like perfume.)  Mix everything together well until the plums are well coated in the sugar.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix the Muscovado sugar, flour and coconut together.  Add the butter, and rub the butter in with your fingertips, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir the plums again, then put into an ovenproof dish, or individual ovenproof dishes.  Top with the crumble mixture, place dish (or dishes) on a baking tray, and bake for 30 minutes - until the topping is golden and crisp and the fruit juices are bubbling up around the sides.

Serve warm with ice cream, cream or yoghurt.

 

Earlier I mentioned Cookbook Sundays.  What is that all about, you are perhaps wondering.  Well, if you're anything like me you have dozens of cookbooks gathering dust on your bookshelves, some of which have never even been cooked from.  Sure I spent hours browsing through them when I first bought them, marking all the recipes I was going to make with little post-it notes, and yet still those books languish in the bookcase and never make it to the kitchen.  There are others from which I have made but one recipe which was such a resounding success that I've made it over and over again, and yet somehow I've never made anything else from that book.  Sound a bit familiar?!

Take comfort - you are not alone, and now Cookbook Sundays is your opportunity to change that.  Every Sunday I'm going to share with you a recipe that I haven't made before from one of my ever expanding collection of cookbooks.  And, because I know that if you have read this far then you are guilty of this too, I'm inviting you to join in with me.  Each week my Cookbook Sundays post will have a linky for you to share something you've cooked from one of your cookbooks.

The rules for joining in are simple:

1. Your post must state the author and the title of the book your recipe has come from.
2. Your post must mention Cookbook Sundays and link back to this post.  Including the Cookbook Sundays badge is optional, but always appreciated.
3. You may submit as many entries as you like, and you may use the same cookbook as many times as you like.  Old posts are also welcome.
4. Lastly,  remember that what goes around, comes around - one of the reasons you are participating in this is because you want people to read your posts, so do the right thing and go and visit a few of the other participants. 

Now, go and dust off those cookbooks and get cooking!  Use the linky tool at the end of this post to submit your entry/entries - simply scroll down to where it says "You are next ... Click here to enter", and then follow the instructions.  The linky will be open for one week.

Lastly, if you would like to use the Cookbook Sundays badge in your post, simply copy the code in the box beside the badge below and paste it into your post.  Feel free to also use it in your sidebar if you wish.

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I am also sharing this post with Sweet New Zealand, a monthly blog event created by the very lovely Alessandra Zecchini, and which this month is hosted by the equally lovely and incredibly talented Arfi at HomeMadeS. This is an opportunity for all Kiwi bloggers (whether you are living in New Zealand or overseas), as well as for non-Kiwi bloggers living in New Zealand, to connect and share some of those sweet treats from your kitchen.  So, head on over to Arfi's and share something sweet.