Plum and Blackberry Crumble Recipe – Tantalizing Tango of Flavors

I love that Thanksgiving is simply about being grateful for what you have, and the chance to celebrate that with dear friends or family and wonderful food.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to bring some of the British heritage into a traditional American celebration. I developed this plum and blackberry crumble recipe based on a traditional plum crumble.

Oats are Scotland’s main grain, so they feature in many dishes. Here, they’re used in the crumble topping – and it was a revelation. The toasted oats make the crumble extra crunchy and lend a delicious, nutty flavor, which pairs well with the spiced fruit. 

To give it a festive feel – and because I had some red wine that needed using up – I created a mulled wine twist on the traditional recipe by poaching the plums in wine and mixing spices. The kitchen smelt heavenly while it was cooking – and there is just something about a warm, boozy pud that lifts the spirits like nothing else.

So if you’re looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie and want a dessert to warm the cockles, then try incorporating a bit of Scotland into your Thanksgiving celebrations with this plum and blackberry crumble. After all, the Scots are pretty expert in Winter food and parties.  

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope yours is joyful and delicious. Here is how to make blackberry plum crumble:

Plum and Blackberry Crumble

A festive, mulled-wine-inspired plum and blackberry dessert.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, British

Servings 6

Calories 205 kcal

Ingredients

  

Crumble Topping

• 50 g plain flour I used a gluten-free blend
• 40 g rolled oats gluten-free certified
• 50 g butter
• 35 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice

Fruit

• 350 g plums halved and stoned
• 200 g blackberries
• 30 g brown sugar
• 4 tbsp /1 good glug red wine
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp each of mixed spice, ginger, cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180^oC. Scatter oats on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes until they start to release a nutty aroma. Set to one side.
• Put the plums in the pan with the water and sugar and place over a low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the wine and spices and bring to the boil. Poach until the plums are just beginning to soften. Add the blackberries and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Put all the crumble ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine lightly with your fingertips. Stir through with a fork so that it doesn’t clump together.
• Ladle the fruit and juices into a baking dish and cover evenly with the crumble mixture. Bake for 20-30 mins until the topping is golden and crunchy.
• Serve warm with cream or custard.

Notes

– Most of the alcohol is boiled off in this blackberry and plum crumble recipe, but if you want a non-boozy pud, replace the wine with the juice of one lemon.

– Gluten-free note: Oats themselves don’t naturally contain gluten but are usually contaminated, so be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

Keyword baking, British, cake, gluten free