Taking on the Vcon Part 10 - Strawberry Plum Crisp

Welcome back to another edition of taking on the Vcon. This week is kind of special because it is raining like crazy outside. We don't get this pleasure too often. It is a perfect night to turn the oven on and fill the house with incredible smells.

As I start my entry for today, the crisp is in the oven. I wish I could adequately describe the smells wafting through my house. It is just as awesome as the torrential downpour we're getting tonight.

This recipe is perfect for this time of year. I was actually able to find some incredible ORGANIC black plums. They were huge and beautiful. I think I may have put too many in the crisp, but I will know shortly when the crisp is finished baking. OK, I'll be back in a little bit with more details and results.

I'm back and it looks pretty awesome. I have to wait 10 minutes before I can dish it up. Torture!! In the meantime I'll post the recipe here for your pleasure. Now I won't be posting every recipe here, because this is a book I think every cook vegan or not should have. It is a great resource of information on all sorts of ingredients and prep methods. So go get it peeps.

Strawberry-Plum Crisp


Filling:
2 pounds black plums (about 10)
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Topping:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons aniseseed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3-4 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat the oven to 375.

Prepare the filling:
Chop the plums by cutting round the seed. Cut them into slices that are between 1/2 and 1/4 inch thick. Place in and 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir to dissolve the starch. Set aside.

Prepare the topping:
Toss all of the topping ingredients except the canola oil into a mixing bowl and mix together with a fork. Drizzle in the oil by the tablespoon while tossing with fork until the topping becomes crumbly and doesn't look too dry. 3 tablespoons should be enough if not add up to 1 more tablespoon one teaspoon at a time. . Sprinkle evenly over plum mixture.

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes. It should be bubbly.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes (typing the recipe should take about that amount of time). Top with vegan vanilla ice cream.

Ok I have to take another break. It's been 10 minutes and I have to try this! I made one big mistake, so I hope it's OK. Notes to follow.

Back again. Well I really need to quit trying to cook after working 12 hours. I make a lot of mistakes when I am tired. Tonight I made a pretty big one. I only used 1/4 cup rolled oats instead of 3/4 cup. This should have been a complete disaster, but it was not too bad. The crisp came out with a lot of liquid in the bottom and the anise seed was more prominent than it would have been. The anise seed gives it a very unique flavor. I think it makes the dish...if you don't screw the topping up like I did.

I think next time I will slice the plums a bit thinner, especially if they are a bit under ripe like mine were tonight.

One other variation I made to the instructions is that I put the filling in large bowl to make it easier to stir it up. I do this a lot. I figure it's worth washing the extra bowl to get a good mix on.

The recipe is solid, the cook, not so much today. It is very quick to throw together. It took maybe 10 minutes to prep. It has to cook for a bit, but hey, you need time to do your dishes, right? This is the time of year ladies and gents. If you want a really nice and easy, tasty plum dessert, do it to it!

Just out of the oven:

Topped with So Delicious Vanilla

Make sure to check in next Tuesday for Vcon Blue Corn Pancakes!