This is a magical time of year, my friends. Yes, we’re beginning to see early signs of fall. But, equally as important is the fact that this is when plum and pear season overlap. Those are two of my favorite fruits to use in baking, and having the opportunity to use them simultaneously makes me very happy.
In a bit of serendipity, Quinn brought home a big bag of plums around the same time that our CSA provided us with a bunch of pears. I love the sweet and tart flavors of plums, and I adore the subtle sweetness of pears. I decided to toss them together and see what happened.
What happened is this crumble. I cannot adequately express how much we enjoyed it. The plums and pears are a lovely complement to each other. Plus, there’s a buttery, cinnamon-y topping. How can you go wrong?
This dessert is strangely nostalgic for me. My mother used to make a dessert she simply called Hot Fruit. It was a combination of fruits with a topping made mostly of crushed Ritz crackers. Hey, don’t judge. It’s actually really good. As I took my first bite of this crumble, I was instantly hit with memories of eating my mother’s dessert that was served at just about every holiday gathering.
Even without that bit of nostalgia, this is one of my favorite desserts in recent memory. It’s sweet and a little tart. Normally, I would recommend serving this with a scoop of ice cream, but it just doesn’t need it. It’s plenty amazing all on its own.
Pear and Plum Crumble
Pear and Plum Crumble combines two delicious fresh fruits with a delicious sweet topping.
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 4 plums, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
To make the topping:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.
- Combine flour, butter, brown sugar, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, and salt until mixture begins to form crumbs. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Place sliced pears and plums in a large bowl. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. Toss or gently stir until combined and fruit is coated.
- Transfer fruit mixture to prepared pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over the top of the fruit.
- Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.
18 Comments on “Pear and Plum Crumble”
This is some special stuff for fall!
I love fall crisps! This flavor combo sounds perfect, I totally want some!
I would never have thought to combine those two! Crazy but it works!
Well, now; how timely. Just made a trip to the farmers’ market today where, amongst other delights, I bought a good number of plums and pears! It appears I must make this crisp, and soon.
Ooh this looks like the perfect autumn pudding. I love the colour and flavour that plums add to a dish
What a great combination. I never would have thought the two went so great together. Perfect fall crisp!
I’ve never baked with either pears or plums, but now I’m really intrigued. And we got pears from our CSA this week (first time in three years that we got pears!), so your recipe came at the perfect time. Thanks for the inspiration!
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What type of plums should I use..A neighbor game me some off her tree and they are real mushy when sliced. The crisp was super runny. I used peaches with mine
I’ve used different kinds with similar results. It might be a matter of ripeness making yours mushy.
I made this tonight and let me tell you
It is so good.
It’s one of my new favorites, the texture was great, the plums and pears were so yummy and subtle and sweet together, but not too sweet, and that crisp on top is so buttery and crispy. And it was so easy to make.
Absolutely delicious. And it made the house smell so amazing and homey while it was baking. 20/10 would recommend.
I’m so glad you liked it, Taylor!
Can I use a pie crust on the bottom?
Hi, Kat. I think that would possibly work. My only hesitation would be that this filling might make the crust a bit soggy.
I made this last night, doubling the recipe and using a 9×13 due to having sooooo many plums and pears, and it turned out great! Super happy I found this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! Pears and plums go so well together in this recipe.
Hi, Wood dried pitted tart cherries be a nice addition to the pears and plums?
Hi, Sharon! Most any fruits you want to substitute should be fine.