After a much welcomed Indian summer, fall seems to have arrived. The air is pleasantly crisp, and the newly fallen leaves crunch under my bicycle's tires. The plum tree outside of our door is full of perfectly ripe fruit, which of course calls for some fall baking. I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Book "Barefoot in Paris". Yes, I know she has a show on the idiot box and although she has yet to come out with her own set of kitchen pans and utensils, I quite like her style. Her recipes have a strong French influence, yet are simple and delicious. Since I've been cooking for 2, I used 6 small souffle dishes instead of a tart pan, freezing the extras for a winter evening treat. We topped ours with some Montana made Wilcoxson's ice cream, and the indulgence was complete.
Plum Raspberry Crumble
2 lbs. plums, cut if half, pitted, and cut into 1-inch wedges
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided (the recipe calls for 2/3 cup sugar)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 t. salt
8 T. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 quick cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
In large bowl, combine fruits, half of the sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss lightly. Pour into bottom of tart pan or souffle dishes.
For the topping, combine the remaining flour, sugar, brown sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add oats, and get in their with your hands until it's in large crumbles, adding the almonds at the end. Top on fruit and bake 350 for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly. Top with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy.