Rhubarb Plum Crumble Pie
Do we have time for one more pie? Thanksgiving is early enough in Canada that I can often squeak by with the last of the stone fruits, and often plums, which make a mighty fine (yet mostly overlooked) pie. They get along well with apples and berries and of course rhubarb, and so when we had an impromptu pie party on a recent Sunday morning (I invited some pals over for coffee and pie), I rummaged through the fridge and came up with this combo. It was a winner. I am a huge fan of sweet-tart fruit pies, still warm enough that the ice cream or whipped cream creates rivulets of melted cream finding their way through the nooks and crannies of fruit, landing in pools on the plate.
These two – they really get along. And if you have some plums in your fridge that are starting to go squidgy, you won’t be able to tell at all once they’re cooked. And if you want to skip the pastry part and call this a crumble, that’s cool too. I really love having the best of both worlds – and it excuses the baker from any obligation to make the top lid of pastry look pretty.
As I mentioned it was an impromptu pie party, meaning there was no time to plan and excecute the perfect lattice-topped creation – but really, I had little desire to do anything beyond make something delicious and sit around a table piled high with pies and bowls of cream and mugs of coffee and catch up. And so a galette it was – or sort of a half galette, half pie, in that I put it in a dish rather than free-form on a baking sheet, in order to provide added support and contain more of the juicy fruit. You can do this – it’s not cheating. And you still don’t have to trim and crimp the edge of your pastry. No one will complain, I promise.
Rhubarb Plum Crumble Pie
AuthorJuliePreheat the oven to 375F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to about 10 inches in diameter; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or pie plate if you want to reinforce the sides. In a medium bowl, toss the rhubarb and plums with the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt (I usually stir the flour into the sugar first to get rid of any lumps), and pile the fruit into the middle of the crust, spreading it out to within a couple inches of the edge. Fold the edge of the pastry over in whatever way it wants to, enclosing the edge of the fruit.
In one of the same bowls, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter, blending it with a fork or rubbing it between your fingers until well blended. Sprinkle over the fruit.
Bake for about an hour, until the fruit is bubbly and the pastry is golden. Cover it loosely with a piece of foil if the crumble is browning too quickly. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to about 10 inches in diameter; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or pie plate if you want to reinforce the sides. In a medium bowl, toss the rhubarb and plums with the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt (I usually stir the flour into the sugar first to get rid of any lumps), and pile the fruit into the middle of the crust, spreading it out to within a couple inches of the edge. Fold the edge of the pastry over in whatever way it wants to, enclosing the edge of the fruit.
In one of the same bowls, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter, blending it with a fork or rubbing it between your fingers until well blended. Sprinkle over the fruit.
Bake for about an hour, until the fruit is bubbly and the pastry is golden. Cover it loosely with a piece of foil if the crumble is browning too quickly. Serves 8.
“I am a huge fan of sweet-tart fruit pies, still warm enough that the ice cream or whipped cream creates rivulets of melted cream finding their way through the nooks and crannies of fruit, landing in pools on the plate.” OMG, I am, too! That description has me drooling. Great recipe, Julie!
Aw, thanks Christian!
Made this today, w/o the pastry bottom. Because of your statement about the combination of sweet-tart fruit, I decided you meant that all fruit could be used, so I got brave and used pears, peaches and one plum along with the rhubarb. So yummy! Thanks for the recipe! I have some plums that are still too hard, so will make another one with JUST plums next time.
I’ve made this a couple of times – yesterday I made it with rhubarb (2 cups), black plums, a peach and a couple of pears. I put the fruit in a 1.5 qt casserole, and topped it with the crumble. It turned out wonderful, as usual. After we’d eaten, I was giving the recipe to my brother and I looked at it again. I said, I don’t remember putting anything on the fruit!! It was just that morning, so I’m pretty sure I would remember.
I cut the fruit up into a 4 cup measure, and put it into a bowl, so I could mix the fruit up. Then I dumped it into the casserole. Apparently, the sweetness of the fruit itself, and the sugar in the topping is all it needed.
Just wanted you to know – if you want a wonderful crumble w/o so much sugar, give it a try! I tried it again with 2 cups of rhubarb, 2 peaches, 1 plum, 1 pear and some blueberries today before actually posting this (to check the I really didn’t put the sugar in the first time, and just forgot). Again, really wonderful! I suppose some people might think it’s a bit tart, but you could certainly put in a lot less sugar, if you want.
It’s true – I love fruit desserts on the tart side!
I have tried this at home and you know what my family is not at all a plum fan but they all loved it completely. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe with all of us. Much love and regards xoxo.
That’s so great to hear!