Summer crumble with plums, peaches and berries
Less elaborate and far quicker to make than a pie or tart, this crumble combines the fruits of midsummer for a mouthwatering mix of flavors. It doesn’t really matter which variety of plums or peaches you use. As for the berries, I used black currants in the crumble pictured above, but later in the season I will switch to blackberries. Other possibilities include blueberries, raspberries or gooseberries.
As for the proportions, use the quantities below as a rough guide. You can use more berries and fewer plums as long as you have enough to fill your baking dish. But do not use more than 2 peaches, as they release a lot of juice and could overwhelm the crumble.
1 pound (450 g.) ripe plums
1 or 2 ripe peaches
1/3 cup (5o g.) black currants or other berries
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
6 tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
2 tbsp. sugar
1 cup flour
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (400 F, 200 C). Lightly butter a baking dish or pie plate, preferably ceramic or glass.
Rinse the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits. Place in a medium bowl.
Peel the peaches, cut in half, remove the pits. Cut the halves into slices and add to the bowl. Add the berries.
Sprinkle the fruit with 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Stir gently.
In a large bowl, cut the butter into small pieces. Add 2 tbsp. sugar, cut in the flour and, using your hands, mix until crumbly. If the mixture is sticky, add a little more flour.
Top the fruit with the crumble. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly and the crumble is browned.
Serve warm, with or without ice cream on the side. Serves 6.
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