I know I certainly haven't had much of a summer between constant rain and dreariness in Paris and Vienna, but if there's one combination that always has me excited for late summer and fall, its plums and apricots. I've been making different versions of this crumble for as long as I can remember, and this time I decided to make small ones by using muffin molds.
To quicken the process of making a crumble, I usually make one dough using almond meal (finely ground almonds), which I then refrigerate and crumble over the top.
First, slice your plums and apricots and remove the pit. Toss the slices in some brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and a splash of amaretto or rum and leave to marinate while you make the dough.
For the dough:
150g butter
300g flour
150g powdered sugar
1 egg
60g ground almonds
Sliced almonds and powdered sugar to garnish
Combine butter, flour, powdered sugar and ground almonds until the texture is sandy. Add the egg and combine until uniform in texture. Refirgerate your dough for about 15 minutes before rolling it out. Preheat your oven to 190°C and cut out circles of dough that are slightly larger than the muffin molds. Fit the circles into the muffin molds and bake for about 10 minutes (place the rest of the dough into the refrigerator during this time).
Once the bottoms have been pre baked, add the fruit filling and crumble the cold dough over the top and add the sliced almonds. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden. Dust with powdered sugar and let cool and enjoy.
With all the abundance in fresh summer fruit and the plums ripening so fast this is our August special! The tartness of the plums and even the apricots is best paired with a tart crust and streusel topped with almond slivers. This is also a great recipe to prepare for guests and can be baked last minute, while you have your main course.
