A super simple crumble that you can customize with your favorite stone fruit! I used black plums and topped it with chopped pistachios for an additional crunch.
I think it took me 30 years to finally understand what “stone fruit” meant. I rarely heard the term, but when I did, I had no idea what it referred to. I finally understood that the “stone” meant that the fruit had a large, hard pit inside.
While I have always been a fan of stone fruit, I haven’t been a huge proponent of getting the pits out. I’m a bit of a lazy girl in that aspect and generally don’t buy these types of fruits very often. But, every once in a while, the fresh summer peach or Rainier cherries are must-haves, and you’ll see me devouring these on a daily basis.
My in-laws were in town, and when I polled my husband to see what type of dessert I should make, he did not hesitate. He wanted this plum cardamom crumble since he saw it featured in this month’s Bon Appetit magazine. While we opted to make this strictly with black plums, you can substitute with any other stone fruit you have available.
This came together very quickly and was in the oven by the time Addie and her grandparents finished a few rounds of Uno. The fresh lemon and cardamom made the kitchen smell like a million bucks, and my hands were also citrusy.
The only person that did not like this dessert was my daughter. She thought that it was too tart and gave us her plate after she took a bite of the crumble. My husband, on the other hand, was a big fan of it and liked the crumble part the best. I thought it was good as well and think that other stone fruit would really well in here too.
Plum cardamom crumble with pistachios
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of plums sliced 1/3" thick (about 8 cups)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or ground cinnamon divided
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
- 2 Tablespoons pistachios coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a deep dish pie pan (make sure it's deep dish because a regular pie plan will overflow) or an 8"x8"x2" square baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the plums with the lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cardamom. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to allow the plums to sit in their own juice.
- While the plums are resting, pulse the flour, remaining 1/3 cup of brown sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom in a food processor (alternatively, you can mix this in a large bowl). Add the butter and pulse until large clumps form (you can do this with your hands or with two forks if you don't have a food processor).
- Transfer the plums to your baking dish. Top the plums with the crumble. Then sprinkle on the chopped pistachios.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the plum juices are bubbling and the crumble is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.