Cardamom Plum Crumble Bars Recipes

PLUM CARDAMOM CRUMBLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º. Butter an 8" square baking pan, or line it with a sling of parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt and cardamom. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter over and pulse about 20 times, until the mixture begins to clump together.
• Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Press the remaining mixture firmly into the pan, building up a 1/2 inch lip on all sides. Spread the jam evenly over the bottom, then sprinkle the 1 cup crumb mixture over the top. Pat down lightly.
• Bake the bars until golden on top, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 12 bars.
• The bars are crispest the day they are baked, but will keep for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.

BLACK PLUM & CARDAMOM CRUMBLE

Steps:

• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a 9-by-13-inch baking dish on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Cut each half into 6 thin wedges and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, honey, cardamom and salt. Toss until evenly coated. Pour into the baking dish in an even layer.
• For the topping: Whisk together the flours, sugars, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir together until clumps of various sizes are formed. Toss the nuts into the mixture. Pour over the fruit in an even layer, leaving some fruit exposed. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit syrup is bubbly, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
• For the ice cream: Mix the ice cream, ground cinnamon and caramel sauce lightly to swirl in a bowl. Serve on the side of the cobbler.

PLUM, RASPBERRY JAM & CARDAMOM CRUMBLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang so you can lift out the traybake later, then butter the parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• To make the pastry, put all the ingredients, except the vanilla, into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a couple of teaspoons of very cold water and the vanilla, then blitz again. The mixture should come together into a ball. If it doesn't, add a little more cold water and blitz again. Press into the tin using your fingers and the back of a large spoon, then bake in the oven for 15-18 mins until pale golden. Leave to cool for 15 mins.
• Stir the cardamom seeds and the lemon juice into the jam until smooth. Spread the jam over the pastry base, leaving a 2cm border all the way round. Cut each plum half into 1cm slices. Lay these in rows, overlapping, on top of the jam.
• To make the crumble, put the flour, ground almonds, butter, sugar and lemon zest into a food processor (you don't need to wash it out first), and blitz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Tip this over the plums and scatter the flaked almonds on top. Bake for about 35-40 mins until the top is golden and the plums are tender. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
• Carefully lift the traybake out of the tin onto your work surface using the baking parchment. Leave for a few hours so the fruit can settle. Cut into squares or rectangles, then sift some icing sugar over the top, if you like.

PLUM CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, salt, and flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside half the mixture. Add the cinnamon, baking powder, and 1 egg to the other half. Mix until well blended. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch shallow baking dish. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• While the pastry is baking, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining egg, the cream, and the almond and vanilla extracts in a small bowl; set aside.
• Remove the pastry from the oven, and top with plum slices. Pour the cream mixture over the plums, and sprinkle with reserved butter-flour mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and bake until topping is golden brown and the plums are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

DAMSON PLUM CARDAMOM JAM

Steps:

• In a sink full of cool water, rinse and de-stem the plums. Place them in a thick-bottomed pan suitable for slow cooking and deep enough to allow frothing when the plums begin to boil. Add the water and cardamom pods and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Turn heat to low for a slow simmer and allow the fruit to cook down uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Allow the plums to cool.
• To pit the plums, strain the cooled plums with a colander, pressing the juice out with your hands and collecting it in a large bowl. Pick up the pit-and-fruit slurry in the colander by small handfuls and squeeze the plum pulp and skins gently into the bowl with the syrup, retaining the pits in the palm of your hand and then discarding them.
• Put the plums back into the original pot with the sugar and butter. Cook at a very low simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about 4 hours. To test for adequate development of pectin, drop a spoonful of the jam on a plate and put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes: the mixture should be soft-set and no longer syrupy.
• Ladle the hot jam into hot, sterile jars, wipe the rims clean, place sterile lids on, and tighten the screw caps. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature and check to be sure that each jar has sealed.