A Near Religious Experience

Last week, I snagged the last of summer blueberries from Samascott Orchard and hoarded them in the fridge for as long as I could. (about a week. Apple cider french toast instead of blueberry chocolate chip pancakes?) This week, I bought a bounty of little plums in an effort to wean myself off blueberries. This weekend I made some onion, tomato and goat cheese omelet with a side of roasted beets to take my mind off blueblerryless pancakes.

So last night after I made an early dinner (poached turbot with oyster mushrooms over barley with some delicious broccoli), I put on some Feist and Seabear (my late night cooking mix) and got to work making a plum crumble that I saw on Orangette, together with some earl grey ice cream. The tea steeped happily with the milk, cream and sugar mixture as I pitted the plums and tossed them up with a coating of crystallized ginger, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. It smelled so delicious even before it was baked. And since the recipe for the topping was so similar to cookie dough..........why not get some extra mileage from the mixer before washing it.

It was near midnight and I smelled of baked goods and earl grey, and probably had flour in my hair like some plum crazy Creulla De Vil. When I finally pulled it out of the oven, the plums looked so lazy as they peeked out of the cracks in the crumble and spilled out around the edges. I was tired and still had to watch the roasting beets and make and cool the custard, but when I spooned out some of the crumble, it was like a religious experience. I think Vipin and I finished off close to half the baking dish yesterday. So much for hoping I could make this stretch out for days – I'm trying to forget that it's camping out in the fridge.