Plum Chutney Crumb Pie

If you’ve never made chutney, you might think it to be one of those long-simmering, involved recipes that take the better part of a day. Really, making chutney is no harder than making applesauce. All you do is cook down the fruit with spices, herbs, sugar and, very important, a little vinegar to accentuate the tang, and you’re done. The intriguing flavor comes from the combination of ingredients, not from a complicated technique.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 170 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups), more as needed for rolling out dough
• 1 gram fine sea salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably a high-fat, European-style butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the Filling

• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 70 grams light brown sugar (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 star anise pod
• 1 cinnamon stick (2 inches long)
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 gram black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 grams ground cardamom (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 gram fine sea salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• 3 pounds ripe plums, pitted and sliced (about 6 cups)
• 100 grams granulated sugar (about 1/2 cup), more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 25 grams instant tapioca (about 2 tablespoons)

For the Crumb Topping

• 90 grams all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
• 100 grams dark brown sugar (about 1/2 cup)
• 5 grams cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1 gram fine sea salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

    533 calories; 22 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 81 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 50 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 57 milligrams cholesterol; 155 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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One 9-inch pie

Preparation

1. Make the crust: In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 6 tablespoons, pulsing occasionally until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Make the chutney: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, brown sugar, star anise, cinnamon stick, rosemary sprig, ginger root, pepper, cardamom and salt to a simmer, stirring to help dissolve sugar. Add a third of the plums and let mixture simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool, then discard star anise, cinnamon stick and rosemary.
3. Meanwhile, toss remaining plums, granulated sugar, orange zest and tapioca in a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. (If your plums are tart, add more sugar to taste.)
4. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Gently roll out dough to fit a 9-inch pie pan, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Fold dough in half and transfer to pie pan. Carefully press crust into pan and crimp edges. Return pie to refrigerator for 20 minutes. While crust chills, heat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Gently press foil into pie crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to oven and bake for 18 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until crust is a light golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Using your hands, work in butter until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into butter and large, marble-size clumps form when pinched. Let sit in refrigerator while assembling pie.
7. Mix chutney into uncooked plums. Pour filling into crust and cover with crumb topping. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and place pie on a baking sheet on middle rack in oven. Bake pie for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until fruit is bubbling and top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream if you like.