Plum and Tigernut Crumble

Hello all,

So excited to share this recipe with you today and tell you a little bit more about tigernut flour, one of my favorite gluten-free flours.

Tiger nuts, or chufa as we call them in Spain, are actually not nuts but root vegetables. They are native to North Africa and cultivation spread to the Iberian Peninsula, which is how I came to know them. They remind me of warm childhood summers, beach time, and horchata de chufa - similar to the Mexican version but made with tiger nuts in place of rice.

Tigernut flour has become popular the last few years as it’s a nutritious alternative to other grain and nut-containing flours. It’s nutty and somewhat starchy. It behaves a lot like almond flour in baking recipes so it’s perfect for anyone with a nut allergy or trying to avoid nuts.

I add it to my banana bread, cakes, pancakes…. even to my sourdough boules in place of potato starch. The flavor is a bit nuttier and the crumb not as open, but makes for a delicious and nutritious loaf. I hope you will try it.

As always, let me know how the recipe turns out for you.

On another note, I just recorded two more video courses that I will begin offering early this fall. All about gluten-free baguettes, pastry, tarts, and pies. Stay tuned.

Love to all,

xo-Aran

Plum Tigernut Crumble

I love this crumble topping and often times, I make a double-batch and freeze whatever I don’t use (uncooked, in an airtight freezer bag). This way, I have crumble topping for last minute desserts, to add to fruit tarts, or I bake it on its own to use as topping for ice cream. 

Here are a few notes about this recipe:

- You can use any plum variety. Make sure they are ripe and sweet. You can always increase the amount of sugar if your fruit is not very sweet, but I prefer to let the natural sweetness and acidity of the fruit shine. Red ones tend to yield a beautiful color when baked. 

- If you cannot find tigernut flour, use almond or hazelnut flour. 

- Omit the rolled oats to make it completely grain-free. You can substitute with buckwheat hot cereal flakes.

Serves 6 to 8

For plum filling

2 pounds (900 g) plums, halved and pitted

2 tablespoons (25 g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon (10 g) tapioca starch

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 teaspoon ground ginger

For the tigernut crumble

2 cups (200 g) tigernut flour (see headnote about substitutions)

1/4 cup (30 g) light buckwheat flour

3 tablespoons (35 g) rolled oats

3 tablespoons (35 g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

8 tablespoons (115 g) vegan butter or coconut butter or unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for greasing

1.     Preheat oven to 350F. 

2.     Combine all ingredients for the plum filling in a large bowl and toss together. Let the plums sit for 5 to 10 minutes until all the juices are released and sugar melts. 

3.     In a medium bowl, stir together both flours, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter into the flour and work between your fingers until you have a moist dough that holds together when pressed in your hand. A bit like shortbread dough. It might seem a bit sandy at first, but continue working the flour and butter together and eventually, they will form a dough-like mixture.

4.     Grease a 3-quart gratin pan with some butter. Tightly arrange the plums, cut-side up, in the pan and pour over all of the juices left in the bowl. Top the plums with big pieces of crumble. 

5.     Place the pan on a baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil. The plum filling should begin to bubble up. Continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and filling is nice and bubbly. Serve while hot or room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.