Purple Plum Crunch

Another day, another recipe .... we're having friends over to the terrace tomorrow night for dinner, so I made this Purple Plum Crunch for dessert.  (I didn't have a baking dish large enough for the recipe, so I used two small ones instead.)

Purple Plum Crunch

3 pounds Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered
1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
6 tablespoons cassis liqueur
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Combine the plums, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the cassis together in a mixing bowl.  Turn into a 12" x 8" shallow baking dish.

Combine the flour, oats, walnuts, remaining 1 cup sugar, the cinnamon, and salt in another mixing bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the egg and mix until moist and crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the plums.

Bake until the plums are bubbling and the top is nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.