Cinnamon Plum & Apple Crunch

Remember the Baked Cinnamon Plums & Cranberries I made recently?

This is another dessert dish, created both from memories of a dish my Mum used to make (with buttered bread on top, which toasted in the oven) and further ponderings on what to do with lovely purple plums.

I think I was as pleased with this one, as I was with the first - although they are quite different in character.  Both hubby and Son & heir enjoyed this, more crunchy, one and gave it a "thumbs up" and would be happy to have it again.

I would, however, change one aspect of the recipe - and have reflected that in the recipe below.  I used dark brown muscovado sugar to make the cinnamon sugar for the toasts.  However, it over caramelised in the oven and was just short of burning.  With the oven at only 160deg F, I was surprised by that.  So I reckon if I was to use a soft brown demarara sugar instead, it would keep more of its character for longer.  The dark brown sugar is so close to being toffee already, it obviously doesn't take long for it to get there!

Again, it's a recipe that can be adapted to use any fruit that bakes well - the world is your oyster, where that's concerned.  So don't think you're constrained to use just Plums & Apples - I would imagine that a Strawberry & Rhubarb version would be absolutely divine.

CINNAMON PLUM & APPLE CRUNCH  (feeds 4)

Ingredients :

4-5 fat purple plums, de-stoned and sliced finely
1 Bramley Apple, peeled, cored and sliced finely
2-3 tbsp water
a splosh of spiced rum2-3 tbsp runny honey
3 slices of bread, buttered quite thickly
1 tsp cinnamon (or any other Christmas spice)
1 tbsp soft brown demarara sugar.

Method :

1.  Take a fairly deep baking dish and add the sliced plums and apples to it, spreading them out until you've as much of a level surface as you can get.

2.  Add the water, rum and drizzle the honey over the top of the fruit.

3.  Take the buttered bread and cut each slice into four triangles. 

4.  On a plate, mix the cinnamon (or spices) with the sugar and dip the buttered side of each bread triangle into the mixture.

5.  Place each triangle on top of the fruit mixture, crust side down and point end up, laying them slightly backwards.  Place another triangle in front of the last, so that you wind up with two lines of interlinked triangles which should cover the top of the fruit.

6.  Place into a pre-heated oven at 160deg C/325deg F/Gas 3 for 20-25 minutes, or until the bread has firmed up and toasted and the fruit is tender.

7.  Cool slightly and serve with double cream or a blob of greek yoghurt.

Scrummy!

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