Cardamom Plum Crumble Bars Food

CARDAMOM PLUM CRUMBLE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F Line a 9x9 square baking pan with foil or parchment paper with long ends so you can lift the bars out after they've cooled for easy cutting.
• Cream the soft butter, sugar, and cardamom until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Note: it's important that your butter be at room temperature. I like to leave it out overnight when I know I'll be baking.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour and mix just until there is no dry flour left. Don't over mix.
• Take 2/3 of the dough and pat it into the bottom of your pan. I like to scatter the dough in crumbles across the bottom, and then start to pat it down. It helps to flour your fingers, or use the bottom of a metal measuring cup to tamp it down. Take the time to get the dough evenly distributed. Note: you're not looking to go up the sides of the pan with the dough, just to make an even flat layer. Steal a little more dough if you need it to cover the bottom. I like to refrigerate the pan and the remaining dough while I make the filling, just to keep it chilled.
• Toss the fruit with the sugar, extract, and lemon and mix well.
• Spoon onto the crust, spreading out evenly. Top with the remaining dough, making crumbles with you fingers as you add it. Some of the fruit will show through, that's not a problem.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until just starting to turn golden and the fruit is sizzling. Let cool before lifting the crumble out and slicing into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

PLUM, RASPBERRY JAM & CARDAMOM CRUMBLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang so you can lift out the traybake later, then butter the parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• To make the pastry, put all the ingredients, except the vanilla, into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a couple of teaspoons of very cold water and the vanilla, then blitz again. The mixture should come together into a ball. If it doesn't, add a little more cold water and blitz again. Press into the tin using your fingers and the back of a large spoon, then bake in the oven for 15-18 mins until pale golden. Leave to cool for 15 mins.
• Stir the cardamom seeds and the lemon juice into the jam until smooth. Spread the jam over the pastry base, leaving a 2cm border all the way round. Cut each plum half into 1cm slices. Lay these in rows, overlapping, on top of the jam.
• To make the crumble, put the flour, ground almonds, butter, sugar and lemon zest into a food processor (you don't need to wash it out first), and blitz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Tip this over the plums and scatter the flaked almonds on top. Bake for about 35-40 mins until the top is golden and the plums are tender. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
• Carefully lift the traybake out of the tin onto your work surface using the baking parchment. Leave for a few hours so the fruit can settle. Cut into squares or rectangles, then sift some icing sugar over the top, if you like.

PLUM CARDAMOM CRUMBLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º. Butter an 8" square baking pan, or line it with a sling of parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt and cardamom. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter over and pulse about 20 times, until the mixture begins to clump together.
• Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Press the remaining mixture firmly into the pan, building up a 1/2 inch lip on all sides. Spread the jam evenly over the bottom, then sprinkle the 1 cup crumb mixture over the top. Pat down lightly.
• Bake the bars until golden on top, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 12 bars.
• The bars are crispest the day they are baked, but will keep for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.

BLACK PLUM & CARDAMOM CRUMBLE

Steps:

• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a 9-by-13-inch baking dish on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Cut each half into 6 thin wedges and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, honey, cardamom and salt. Toss until evenly coated. Pour into the baking dish in an even layer.
• For the topping: Whisk together the flours, sugars, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir together until clumps of various sizes are formed. Toss the nuts into the mixture. Pour over the fruit in an even layer, leaving some fruit exposed. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit syrup is bubbly, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
• For the ice cream: Mix the ice cream, ground cinnamon and caramel sauce lightly to swirl in a bowl. Serve on the side of the cobbler.