Plum Crumble with Burnt Sugar Ice Cream
Confession: I’ve been a little bit obsessed with those plum tarts we had in the Okanagan. If it were a celebrity, I might be hanging around in my car outside its house after dark, hoping for just a little taste. Every time I see a plum I wonder if I could similarly transform it, realize I probably couldn’t truly do it justice, sigh with discouragement and don’t even bother eating it because why would I want a stupid plum anyway if it’s not wrapped in pâte brisée?
And then there was a pork sale.
Stay with me here, I’m searching for a segue way.
Sunterra had a big ol’ pork sale this weekend in support of Alberta pork producers, who are still feeling the affects of H1N1 (Canada risks losing an additional 25 per cent of its pig herd in 2009) – they pulled a big freezer truck into the parking lot and offered to load 66 lbs of loin chops, roasts and whole tenderloins into the back of my Subaru Outback for the low low price of $139.
Of course I jump into these situations without considering the state of my freezer.
So when I got home from the dog park (which is right beside Sunterra), having tortured Lou by making him ride home in the back with all that pig, I had to make way for it in my freezer, which meant jettisoning anything that took up too much space – namely the frozen insert for my ice cream machine.
See? I told you there was a connection. Of course that meant I had to make ice cream while it was good and frozen, seeing as I won’t be able to freeze it again for at least 2 pork loin roasts. And I did promise you another batch of burnt sugar ice cream. And I couldn’t rightly eat burnt sugar ice cream all on its own – it really does need to melt a little bit over sweet-tart fruit, preferably with a crunchy, buttery pastry of sorts, like a peach-blackberry pandowdy. Or a plum tart. Sniff.
So I settled on a plum crumble, attempting to mimic the buttery pastry with a plain topping devoid of oats, nuts or anything grainy. It was good enough, but it was no plum tart. The burnt sugar ice cream made up for its absence. Or did it make me miss it more?
Burnt Sugar Ice Cream
adapted (and simplified) from the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook
1 cup + 3 Tbsp. sugar
a few drops of lemon juice (optional-to keep the sugar from crystallizing)
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups whole milk or half & half
6 large egg yolksPut 1 cup of the sugar into a medium saucepan (one big enough to ultimately accommodate all the ingredients, keeping in mind that the cream will bubble up when you add it) and set it over medium-high heat. If you like, add a few drops of lemon juice – this will help keep the sugar from crystallizing, but it’s not necessary.
Let it sit until the sugar begins to melt, then swirl the pan occasionally, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn (don’t stir it) until the sugar melts completely and then turns a deep amber. Remove from heat and whisk in the cream – it will sputter and froth, and some of the sugar will solidify – that’s OK. Put the pot back on the heat, turn it down to medium and add the milk or half & half and cook for a few minutes, until the sugar is completely melted. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar. Whisk in some of the hot burnt sugar cream, pouring it in a thin stream and whisking vigorously so as to not cook the egg yolks. Add about a quarter of it, then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot, pouring and whisking the same way. Put the pot back over medium heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, until it starts to bubble and thicken, and has the texture of thin custard (it should coat the back of a spoon – that is, leave a trail if you run your finger through it). Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (I lay it directly on the surface to avoid getting a “skin”), and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Freeze according to your ice cream machine’s directions. (If you don’t have one, ask Santa – it’s worth it just for this.)
Plum Crumble
15-20 plums, pitted and halved
2 Tbsp. sugar (or more, if the plums are very tart)
a shake of cinnamonCrumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour (you could use whole wheat flour, or oats)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
a shake of cinnamon
1/3 cup butterPreheat the oven to 375°F.
Spread the plums out into a pie plate, quiche pan or other similarly-sized baking dish, sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon and toss them about a bit with your hands, then spread them out again.
In a bowl (or a food processor) mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add the butter and blend until crumbly. Sprinkle over the plums, squeezing the mixture as you go to create larger clumps. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and bubbly around the edges.
Serve warm, with ice cream. Serves 6.
One Year Ago: Dark Fruitcake and Squash Soup
September 27 2009 07:30 pm | dessert and freezable
robyn on 27 Sep 2009 at 7:36 pm #
You had me until Subaru Outback. When?!?!
JulieVR on 27 Sep 2009 at 7:37 pm #
Oh an old one, same vintage as the Accord- just bought it from a friend. Good car, safe and has a space just for Lou!
the other Al on 27 Sep 2009 at 7:54 pm #
OH GOD please let me move in with you.
the other Al on 27 Sep 2009 at 7:55 pm #
um….my clock says it’s 10pm
JulieVR on 27 Sep 2009 at 8:31 pm #
Very weird.. I’ll look into that!
Erica B. on 27 Sep 2009 at 11:01 pm #
MMM Burnt Sugar Ice Cream TY for the recipe! Where were you when I made Plum Browned Butter Bliss the other night?
It was your description of that tart that got me on a plum kick to begin with heh… I searched the usual for a recipe and still haven’t found one using custard. I did however find a use for some of that pork – Cumin Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1036064
thepinkpeppercorn on 28 Sep 2009 at 6:30 am #
OMG, what’s not to like!!!! YUM YUM
pauline on 28 Sep 2009 at 6:48 am #
Julie you are not helping me loose weight with all these amazing looking desserts.lol. I am on the quest to loose 30lbs .So far so good. I love reading about your adventures keep up the good work. Give lou a scratch from all his fans too. Is he going to Jasper. Just over a month away. How can that be its nearly Xmas. Feels like hello winter its so chilly this morning.
LisaMer on 28 Sep 2009 at 7:26 am #
Pauline, I hear you about the weight loss. Every time Julie blogs about something like this, I shed a little tear. I’m on a big weight loss journey (35 lb lost so far, about 20 lb to go!) and if I make something like this, it’s just too hard to have one small piece. =( Maybe I should ask for an ice cream maker for Christmas to use in the new year!
Colleen on 28 Sep 2009 at 8:08 am #
Hey Julie, loved the recipe for the ice cream…somewhat grateful I don’t have an ice cream machine
I checked out your “a year ago today” and found the dark fruitcake. Can I bake that in a couple of loaf pans? If so, how long would I bake them?
Elaine on 28 Sep 2009 at 8:36 am #
Can we discuss for a moment the fact that you have freezer room for 66 lbs of pork? I picture one of those coffin-sized freezers and am filled with jealousy. Pork sales: reason #287 to move to Canada. (#286 is that I’d get to see the new Kids in the Hall movie sooner.)
Carolyn on 28 Sep 2009 at 12:45 pm #
Hi Everyone – posting this as a word of caution. Please be very careful when browning anything past the point of melting. I’m recovering from very bad burns that occurred nearly 5 weeks ago when I was browning 1/4 c butter for cookies. I not only lit myself on fire, I could have burnt the house down. A reminder that if something is burning, put a lid on it. DO NOT ADD WATER!!!
pauline on 28 Sep 2009 at 1:25 pm #
Way to go Lisa 35lbs so far. You must be so proud of yourself. I am proud of my 10lbs. I am an all or nothing person one bite leads to the whole thing if its something I love. Once I got of the sugar train, the cravings have gone so its all good. Do you want to check in here say on October the 28th and we can see how we are doing. Julie do you mind. This is after all your blog.
Andrea on 28 Sep 2009 at 2:14 pm #
Yum! I don’t have an ice cream maker…but I’m thinking about maybe burnt sugar creme brulee? You wouldn’t need the burnt sugar topping – although, truth is that really is the best part about creme brulee.
JulieVR on 28 Sep 2009 at 5:42 pm #
Pauline & Lisa – of course not!! The more conversation the merrier, I say!
Andrea – YOU ARE BRILLIANT.
Lauren on 28 Sep 2009 at 5:49 pm #
Yum! I love the sound of the burnt sugar ice cream =D.
Nicole (Cooking After Five) on 28 Sep 2009 at 6:44 pm #
Plum desserts are my favorite! This one looks delicious.
ASHLEA on 28 Sep 2009 at 9:18 pm #
This looks delicious and I love knowing that you can freeze it! Thanks for sharing!
Avery on 28 Sep 2009 at 9:32 pm #
Hey! We have a freezer full of Sunterra pork too! We even got free bacon!
JulieVR on 28 Sep 2009 at 10:03 pm #
Free bacon?? Is there such a thing? With the $10 voucher?
JulieVR on 29 Sep 2009 at 6:49 am #
Colleen – for sure! I’d go for about an hour? Until they are peaked and springy to the touch on top, so that they don’t sink in the middle. Mmmmm dark fruitcake…
JoJo on 29 Sep 2009 at 9:50 am #
Heard you on CBC this morning, using a slow cooker for ever so many things. Do you suspect it would work for fruitcake?
JulieVR on 29 Sep 2009 at 9:56 am #
It probably would! And give it more of the texture of plum pudding.. most people put loaf pans in the crock pot, wrap in foil and add a bit of water.. Google it!
Vivian on 29 Sep 2009 at 4:16 pm #
Further to our (my) and Erica B’s quest for the approximation of the Joy Road Plum Tart…I found a post from Recipegirl.com that seems somewhat close, intriguing anyway and worthy of a try, just substituting plums for the apples.
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/09/18/caramelized-apple-brown-butter-custard-tart/
Think I will try this and report back.
Dana McCauley on 29 Sep 2009 at 7:30 pm #
Great combo!
I’ve been on a crumble kick all summer long. My fav combo was wild blueberry and peach but now I’m on to apple. Good but not as good. I use oats in my crumble topping[ http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/produce-panic-part-two-basic-crumble-topping ] but yours looks so great I may give it a try!
I wish I’d had one of those plum tarts you mentioned. They must be pretty darn good!
Avery on 29 Sep 2009 at 11:08 pm #
We only got a $5 voucher, but I think you ordered twice as much as we did. We made BLT salads with tomatoes from my Mom’s garden!
Ashley on 30 Sep 2009 at 10:18 pm #
Haha I LOVE how you describe your obsession with plum tarts. Burnt sugar ice cream sounds so good.