Plum and ginger crumble

• 16-20 plums, halved, stoned and chopped
• 160g sugar
• 1 tblsp lemon juice
• half jar ginger preserve

Crumble top

• 175g plain flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g muscovado sugar
• 100g butter chilled and cut into cubes
• 50g porridge oats
• 50g ginger biscuits crushed
• 1 knob grated ginger

Put the plums, sugar, lemon juice and ginger preserve in a pan and simmer gently until the plums start to soften and liquid forms.  Leave on simmer for around 15 mins.  

Put the flour, sugars and butter in a bowl or mixer, if using your hands rub the butter through your fingers until the mixture forms a breadcrumb style mix (not a dough), then finally add the oats, grated ginger and ginger biscuits.

Put the plum filling in a greased dish and cover with the crumble mix and then cook in an over for 35-40mins at 170 degrees until golden brown on top.  Serve with cream or custard.

Plums with Gingerbread Crumble and Black Treacle Ice-cream

This tastes amazing, very reminiscent of parkin with the ginger and treacle flavours.

• Enough plums for 2 per person
• Packet of ginger biscuits crushed
• Plain flour
• Demarara sugar
• Butter
• 500ml whole milk
• 250ml whipping cream
• 140g black treacle
• 6 egg yolks
  

The ice-cream must be made 12-24hrs in advance to ensure it's set in time. Pour the milk and cream into a pan over a gentle heat. When they are warm, add the treacle and stir until dissolved. Add the egg yolks and whisk to make a custard base.

Bring the temperature up a little for 3-4 mins to pasteurise the ingredients, don't overheat or eggs will cook. If you have time leave ice-cream to chill overnight, take less time to churn and infuses flavours better.

Once cooled transfer ice cream to an ice cream machine and turn on. Usually allow to churn for 40-60mins. Transfer to freeze proof container until needed.

Can also do without a machine by placing mix into freezer for an hour, take it out and stir well, place back into freezer to freeze again and repeat 4-5 times.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

To prepare the crumbles, cut each plum into halves and remove the stones. Make up the crumble mixture using 1 part of each of the ginger biscuits, plain flour, butter and sugar e.g. 50g of each or 100g of each. Rub all ingredients together until they form a breadcrumb like consistency.

Lay the plums skin side down in a baking dish and then cover the tops with crumble.

Cook in oven for around 15-20 mins or until golden brown on top. Serve on dish, each person having 4 plum halves and a scoop of treacle ice-cream.