I hate being sick. But this week knocked the wind out of me. Horrible horrible week. Viral bug made me miserable and to top all that everything I ate tasted like metal.
The only thing I enjoyed eating this week were apples. Apples with a bit of rock salt. And so when I'd asked the husband to buy me some fruits on his way home, I was expecting apples. Instead I got a whole lot of plums. And not just any plums, super tangy and tart plums.
I wanted to scream. But I knew better, because even with plums there is a world of endless possibilities and to be fair I actually quite like this fruit. So on the fourth-day of being housebound, I decided I needed to try and change my palate a bit. I started simple - a bit of plum stew with a dash of cream. That tasted pretty darn good.
Then some plums with a bit of black salt. I don't know what it was about this astringent fruit that seemed to be easing that horrible taste in the mouth. But by the fifth day I wanted something sweet. Something more mealy. Something more tangible.
I got a whole lot of plums chopped (about 14) and macerated them in some brown sugar and vanilla and then decided to bake them with my favorite crumble topping. They baked at their own pace (read 30 minutes) and a couple of minutes of rest, I couldn't help but spoon some in my mouth. Oh the burst of flavours. The tartness of the plum against the mellowness of the vanilla. The added crunch of the almonds made the filling amazing. The crispy oat and sugar mix just made the crumble perfect. And a dash of runny cream, I was in heaven (albeit sick). This was comfort food at it's best. And perfect sickness food too.
Oh and see that cute milk jug? My friend Swati from Chatkhor sent it to me. Isn't she the sweetest?
Plum and Almond Crumble
Serves 4
Ingredients
14 medium sized plums sliced
4 tblsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almonds sliced
1 tblsp corn flour
For the topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup flour of your choice - wheat/buckwheat/all purpose
50 grams butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (feel free to replace it with any other spice)
1/2 cup brown sugar
Directions
1. Macerate the plums with brown sugar and vanilla. Keep aside for 30 minutes
2. Add the almonds and corn flour to it. And bung it into the baking dishes, divided equally in four parts.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together oats, flour, sugar, vanilla and butter until crumbly
4. Sprinkle the mixture equally on all four dishes
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree for 30 minutes or until the tops are brown.
6. Eat warm or cold with ice cream or cream or creme fraiche.
