Cook: 50-55 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Lucas Hollweg’s Plum and Stem Ginger Crumble (and Simon P’s favourite!)

Introduction by "Time-Poor Chef, Simon Porter": I have a sweet tooth, and really enjoy a pudding. I love this recipe, and am often asked to make it by friends and family. It is pretty simple to do and seems fairly flexible/foolproof. The filling can be made in advance and the assembly done on the day. This means that for a dinner party, all I have to do is pop it in the oven as we sit down for the main course and it’s ready to eat dish up by the time the plates are off the table!

Ingredients

Method

Ingredients

  • SERVES 6
  • 750 g plums, halved, stones removed
  • 2 balls of stem ginger, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp of syrup from the jar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 150 g butter, plus a knob extra
  • 175 g demerara sugar
  • 100 g porridge oats
  • 125 g self-raising flour
  • 2 tablespoon golden syrup
  • 5 tablespoon double cream

Method

one. Put the plums in a saucepan with the ginger and ginger syrup, plus the cinnamon and a knob of butter. Heat gently for a few minutes, until the plums have started to soften.

two. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put the plums in an ovenproof gratin dish (about 23 x 23cm/9 x 9 in and about 5–6cm/2–2½in deep), then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.

three. In a bowl, mix together the oats, the remaining sugar and the flour. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Now add the golden syrup and cream and mix well. Tip onto the oat mixture and stir together. Spoon on top of the fruit, level out in a thin even layer about 1cm (½in) thick – try not to make it any thicker, or it may not cook through. Put in the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, or until set and golden brown. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before eating so the top can set a little (this also prevents you from burning your tongue).

Serving Suggestion. Cream or vanilla ice cream are the obvious partners in crime.

Possible Amendment.