Autumn – what a BEAUTIFUL season! And it has finally hit Austria :–D

Not that I don’t like our Summers too. But after those last few days, when Summer was really showing off and putting us through some sweat-sessions, I am definitely relieved for coat-and-hat-time to have arrived! Now it even makes sense again to have a wardrobe full of clothes. Didn’t see much use of that during our hot Summer days ;–)

I am SO looking forward to the coming weeks, spending time outdoors with my family, enjoying crisp Autumn-air. Especially with my almost 1 1/2 year-old boy. I think he will be really impressed to see how those green leaves suddenly turn yellow and red. I mean, how could he not? Considering that I am still getting mega-amazed experiencing it the 29th time this year ;–)

The place to be now is definitely the forrest, don’t you think?
Just imagine those colours! A sea of reds, yellows and browns falling from the trees to cover the ground. How the Autumn-sun is creating this special homely atmosphere, bathing everything and everyone in warm, golden light. And the smell! Sweet, sweet smell of Autumn leaves in the air. This satisfying crunchy sound of crumbling leaves under your every step. What a magnificent time…

Autumn is also a definite favourite season food-wise, thinking about all the awesome fruits and vegetables that are ripe and ready for a dance in the kitchen right now.
And one of those dances has to be reserved for plums! Don’t you love the colour? Gorgeous hues from blue to red, warm green inside, and when you cook them, they turn all purple… and not to talk about the exquisite taste – perfect balance of sweetness and fruit acid…

So, let’s start the music and waltz those plums right into the oven!
It is time for a delicious PLUM CRUMBLE!

This is meant as breakfast. Maybe for a lovely family brunch on Sundays, but it also makes a great dessert! What I love so much about this dish is the way it is so versatile and quick to throw together.
You don’t have ground almonds? No problem – use ground walnuts. You can’t eat nuts? No problem – get ground pumpkin seeds along with some sunflower seeds and poppyseed to throw on top. Not such a great plum-fan as I am? No problem – tastes just as good with apples or pears. Maybe you are even one of those lucky people to have your freezer stocked with some Summer-berries. Then, by all means, go for a delicious strawberry version :–)

And what’s even better: there are so many ways to serve the crumble! It’s wonderful hot right out of the oven but I also love eating it cold on the next morning.
It’s already really good on it’s own, but a dollop of whipped coconut cream takes it up another level (see tip below). Have it with your favourite yoghurt or turn it into a delicious bowl of cereals by adding your favourite milk. Make it a fancy dessert by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream (best when crumble is hot). Well, it’s definitely a recipe that you can get creative with!

Ingredients:
(a cup = 250 ml, like an ordinary coffee cup)

• approx. 1/2 kg fresh, halved and stoned plums
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• approx. 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 organic lemon, juice and zest
• 1 1/2 cup oats (certified glutenfree if necessary)
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup flaked almonds
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 3 tbsp coconut oil (or neutral tasting plantbased oil)
• 3 tbsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener such as runny honey, agave)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I like to add 3, but I suppose I’m a freak when it comes to cinnamon ;–))
• 1 tsp ground vanilla or vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• options for serving: yoghurt, milk, ice cream, whipped coconut cream (see tip below)

Directions:

1. Put the prepared plums in an ovenproof dish, zest the lemon on top of it, squeeze the juice all over it, add cranberries and grated ginger. Mix well .
2. In a medium sized bowl add all other ingredients except oil and maple syrup (and vanilla essence if using). Mix well, then add oil and maple syrup (and vanilla essence if using) and stir well until no big lumps remain and everything seems moist.
3. Spread the oat mix on top of the fruits and cover with a fitting lid or tin foil.
4. Pop it in your oven on 180 °C top/bottom or 160 °C hot air for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 25 minutes. Watch close for the last 5 minutes as each oven works a bit different and you will want to make sure the crumble gets super-crunchy, not super-burned ;–) Talking about crunchy: for the last minute or so you can switch your oven to grill mode – but stay with your crumble! Grill is a SURE way of turning those oats black, if you don’t keep a close eye on them – or better both eyes (speaking from experience…)!
5. Out of the oven leave to cool for a few minutes (or impatiently burn your tongue… ouch!) and enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee. Remember all the serving options mentioned above :–)

Tip whipped coconut cream:

that is the most wonderful substitute for traditional whipped cream that I ever came across. Seriously, it’s rather divine :–) I did not use traditional whipped cream since I know how to make this coconut cream. Why? Because it just tastes so much better! A positive side effect: it is also healthier. The only downside: it melts at warm temperatures. But I can live with that ;–) So, here is what you need to do:
Store a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours or better over night (I keep some in my fridge at all times to have it handy when needed). While it’s cooling in the fridge, the creamy part is separating from the watery part. When you open the can, you can scoop out the cream and simply whip it up by hand or use your electric beaters. Add a bit of vanilla and some liquid sweetener if desired and dig into this fluffy coco-cloud. The remaining water is great in smoothies, to cook grains, to add to your curry,… :–)