Seasonal dessert

it’s certainly been a while since i vowed to recreate my cookery school plum & orange crumble, but i finally got around to it this week. good thing, since plums are hugely in season right now – you can’t MOVE for plums, to borrow a phrase from my wise old dad. they are more of an oval shape than the plums you get in the states, and the flesh is much paler. when cooked in the oven in a crumble, they take on a baked apple-like consistency: delightfully mushy!

this past new years eve, i attempted to make this using nectarines instead of plums – not the same, i’m afraid. of course, this would work well with apples and pears (minus the orange zest). and maybe before the summer is officially over, i’ll try doing a berry version. raspberries are gorgeous right now.

this pudding is best served with something creamy: vegan ice cream? goat’s cream? i had mine with goat’s yogurt, which was slightly too bitter but did the trick in a pinch. and the topping can certainly be adapted to a vegan diet – just use a non-dairy shortening or margarine instead of the goat’s butter.