Mirabelle plums are one of my favorite fruits, but they are actually quite difficult to come by in the US. They are very small (in some cases, not much larger than a cherry) and have a fairly short shelf life. They are also a trademark yellow. I made do this time by finding similar small plum (a little smaller than a golf ball) but I had some mirabelle jam, which I put under the fresh plums on these crumble bars. They are quite juicy, a little tart and very yummy.
Ingredients
for the crust and topping
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups yellow mirabelle plum jam
1 pound mini-plums (I used sweet cherry plums), halved and pitted
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Create a foil or parchment sling for your 9 x 13-inch baking dish or spray generously with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks with a spoon until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until just combined. Remove 2 cups of the crust mixture and press into the lined pan. Set the unused portion of the crust aside covered with plastic wrap, but not in the refrigerator. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or so; the chilling of the crust prevents it from expanding and rising too much during baking.
Remove the crust from the freezer and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the sides are lightly browned. Then remove from the oven, and increase oven temperature to 350F. Spread the plum jam over the whole surface and then place on halved plums cut side up, in rows, and sprinkle the leftover crust mixture on top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the streusel is lightly browned.
Allow the pan to cool completely before taking the bars out of the pan. Remove the bars by lifting out with the sling and cut.
