This is one of those recipes where smell and taste is your ultimate guide. It's very easy to make substitutions for the filling (another fruit or berry) and for the crumb topping (any combination of flour, grains, seeds, nuts or as I did here leftovers). It's also a great way to recycle any baking mishaps. I used some donuts that just did not turn out right to make this crumb topping. Taste, adjust, bake and most importantly enjoy!
Ingredients
For the plum filling
300g plums (pitted and cubed)
2 tbsp GF flour
¼ cup brown sugar (more or less to taste)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp rum
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
pinch of salt to taste if needed
For the crumb layer
Leftovers e.g. cake, donuts, cookies*
¼ cup of whole almonds
1 tbs oil (or more)
sugar & salt to taste
water
*You can use an equivalent amount of flour, see the recipe for added info
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8 x 8 baking tin
In a mixing bowl add the flour, half of the sugar and cinnamon to the diced plums. Stir to coat the plums
Add the rum and bitters and stir again to mix well. Taste and adjust sugar and salt if necessary (add even a bit more rum if you wish).
Scoop the plum mixture into the baking tin and spread evenly
For the crumb layer if you are using leftovers, pulse it to form a crumbly mixture. You can use an equivalent amount of flour, you will need more oil (or butter), salt and sugar to flavor the crumb topping
Chop or mince the almonds chunky or fine, whichever you prefer
In a mixing bowl, add the crumb mix to the almonds for a total of 1½ cups
Add the oil and mix well, the crumbs should hold loosely together if pressed, no need to form a dough. Because I use previously baked goods I needed very little oil to hold the mixture together you can add more if needed. The same with sugar and salt, add only as necessary.
Spoon the crumb mixture over the plums, press firmly to over and spread evenly. You can spritz the top with water to help hold the crumbs together
Bake for 30 – 40 mins, the plum sauce will bubble and the top will brown. If at the 30 minute mark my crumb topping has browned sufficiently, I will cover the baking tin with foil and continue to bake the tart for another 10 minutes
Remove from the oven, cool in the tin. Serve warm (my preference). Top with ice cream or whipped cream for an extra treat