Mini Plum Crumbles

This dessert would make a great follow up to the smokey bbq pulled pork from my last post. It's pretty simple - you might already have most of the stuff at home, like I did - and it's pretty quick to make too.

Why did I make it? I was given some beautiful plums by some friends when I was visiting the Hawke's Bay a couple of weekends back. They were starting to go a bit soft and I didn't want to waste their deliciousness.
Where did this recipe come from? From my head - a bit of conglomeration of all the crumble recipes I've ever used.
What's it good for? When you've got an excess of fruit, when you want a warming dessert or just because it's delicious - I like to add just a wee bit of sugar when I stew the fruit so it's still a bit tart, which goes beautifully with the sweet crumble topping.
How many people can eat it? This recipe made two mini crumbles, but just multiply it for more
What do I serve it with? Ice-cream, cream, yoghurt....whatever you fancy really. I served it with plain, unsweetened yoghurt with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. I find that I need something to counteract the sweetness, so I'm a big fan of yoghurt with rich desserts.

What do I need?

It's important to stay hydrated while cooking

300g plums (stones removed, cut roughly into quarters) or any fruit you choose like peaches, cherries, apples etc
1 tsp caster sugar
10g butter
20g brown sugar
40g rolled oats
2 tblsp flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp of cinnamon



How do I make it?

Preheat the over to 180 degrees celsius. Pop the plums into a small saucepan. You might need to add a little bit of water, but my plums were pretty juicy so I didn't bother. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit and gently simmer on a low heat until the fruit is tender. You might want to adjust the amount of sugar to your taste or to the type of fruit you're using, While the plums are doing their thing, make the crumble. Cut the butter into small pieces (it's easier if it's at room temperature at this point) and put into a bowl with the brown sugar, rolled oats, mixed spice and cinnamon. Use your fingers to rub the mix together until it looks like something that vaguely resembles breadcrumbs. At this point, I found my mix was a bit too melty-buttery (wasn't really complaining), so I added some flour. I could have used more than 2 tablespoons, but just use your judgement based on how the mixture looks.
Your fruit should be done by now. Mash it up a bit if it needs it and then spoon it into ramekins. Top with the crumble mixture and bake for about 15 minutes or until the crumble is bubbling and the top is a wee bit brown. Enjoy - but don't burn your tongue like I did!