Italian Style Blackberry and Plum Crumble

I don't usually bake.  It's not that I can't bake but I know that if I do bake, I'll end up eating the results.

But when there's free food in the hedgerows with ripe juicy blackberries waiting to be picked, I can't resist the temptation to make a crumble.

Usually  I make an apple and blackberry crumble but we've had a very poor crop of apples this  year so when I came across a recipe for an Italian style plum and blackberry crumble I

knew I had to try it.

This recipe is from Lawrence Dalliagio's 'My Italian Family Cookbook' which I picked up in a bargain bookstore. I don't really keep abreast of popular culture so I presumed he was yet

another celebrity chef until my husband asked 'What does a rugby player know about cooking?'  Well, a quick glance through the book shows that he knows quite a lot, and I used his recipe

for lasagne last week to make my best lasagne ever (he uses bay leaves instead of basil - try it).

Anyway here is the recipe for Crosata di More e Prugne  

What  you need:

Fruit mix

8 or 9 plums, stoned and chopped

225g blackberries

2 tbsp light muscovado sugar

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

juice of 1/2 orange

For the topping

175g flour,  half and half plain and wholemeal

125 butter,  chilled and cubed

50g amaretti biscuits, crushed

25g flaked almonds

25g light muscovado sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/180 fan/gas mark 6

Wash the blackberries and place in bowl with the plums.

 Add the sugar, spices and orange juice and mix together.

Place in a shallow oven proof dish.

To make the crumble, put the flour in a large bowl, add the butter and rub to make a crumble. 

 Stir in the crushed amaretti biscuits, flaked almonds and sugar.

Spoon the crumble topping on top of the fruit and bake in the  oven for 40 minutes. 

Delicious with ice-cream or custard.