How I came up with the idea of making a Plum Crumble with Mulled Wine Custard? Well, I’ve been using the rich plum range from the Body Shop and I thought this smells like I could eat it, and I started thinking of plum recipes.

The one I created and I’m sharing today is healthy, with not a lot of fat, and no added sugar. I’ve used red grape juice as a base for the custard and that is sweet, so there was no need for sweetener. As for the crumble, I’ve decided not to add any sugar, and leave it a bit sharp. Amazingly, a portion counts two towards your 5-a-day, how great is that? Enjoying a delicious desert which is healthy too. Because I’ve used vegan spread, the crumble is vegan too.

Plum Crumble with Mulled Wine Custard. Ingredients for the crumble, 6 servings:

– 500g ripe plums
– 1 Gala apple
– 4 spoons of red grape juice
– 2 tsp cinnamon
– 100g porridge oats
– 100g plain white flour
– 75g vegan spread
– 50g flaked almonds

Preheat the oven at 180C or 160C fan.

Wash the fruits and chop them. I chopped the apples in cubes and the plums in slices. Put the fruits in a bowl with the cinnamon and the grape juice. Mix to coat the fruits with the spices, and transfer them into a non-stick baking tray.
Meanwhile, put the oats, flour, the almonds, and the vegan spread in a bowl. Using your fingers, incorporate the spread into the flour until it resembles large breadcrumbs. Put the crumble on top of the fruits.

Put the baking tray in the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the crumble is golden brown.

Ingredients for the custard:

– 500ml red grape juice
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp nutmeg
– 1/2 tsp cardamom

While the crumble is baking, you can prepare the mulled wine custard.

In a pan, mix the flour and the spices with the a bit of the red grape juice until is incorporated and there are no lumps. Pour the rest of the juice on top and put the pan on the hob on medium heat. Stir the mixture from time to time with a wooden spoon to avoid it catching the bottom of the pan. When it starts thickening, stir it continuously for another minute or so.
Take it off the heat and transfer the custard from the pan to another container. Cover it with cling film so it doesn’t form a skim.