Spiced plum, apple and red wine crumble

It’s officially autumn here in the UK, so what better ways to see off the end-of-summer blues than with a huge helping of sweet, comforting crumble?

This sweet, satisfying dessert takes a step up from the average crumble with the decadent addition of red wine and mixed spice – a combination that adds depth to the flavour without being overpowering. These tweaks could also be ramped up nearer to Christmas for a very festive dessert.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 12 ripe plums
• 6 apples
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp golden granulated sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 100ml red wine (I used a Cabernet-Shiraz)

For the crumble:

• 350g wholemeal flour
• 200g cold slightly salted butter
• 250g golden granulated sugar

You’ll also need a 30cm casserole dish with lid, capable of being used on the hob and in the oven.

Instructions

1. Wash all of the fruit.

Stone the plums and cut into quarters. Peel and core the apples and chop into eighths.

In the dish, dissolve the golden sugar, butter and mixed spice in the wine. Allow it to come up to the boil – it should take 60-90 second to start thickening.

Throw in the fruit and 100ml water and stir until evenly coated.

Replace the lid and let the fruit bubble over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Make up the crumble by placing the butter, sugar and flour in a food processor and pulsing until you have an even crumb.

Spread evenly over the top of the crumble (don’t pat down) and place in the oven with the lid off.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on top. Serve immediately with plenty of custard.

Here’s the recipe in printable form – will you try it?

Cooking with the Le Creuset Cast Iron Shallow Casserole dish (supplied to me for the creation of this recipe) is a joy. It’s safe to use on any heat source including gas, electric, ceramic, radiant ring and induction hobs, which is what made this recipe so simple to prepare. Plus the heat distributes really evenly, which means a better final dish.

You might think that cooking a red wine recipe in a white dish was madness, but it came up perfectly clean after a brief soak in hot soapy water. It can also be placed in the dishwasher, if you wish.

I can’t recommend the Le Creuset range enough. Not only is it gorgeous to cook with, it looks beautiful too.

This is a commissioned recipe for Le Creuset and Great British Chefs.