Plum and Nectarine Crisp

I did a little foraging on the golf course this weekend and brought home a golf bag pocket full of plums! Even though my husband Scott was a little annoyed by me stripping plums off a plum tree right next to the second tee box on Sunday afternoon instead of focusing on my drive, I posted my all time lowest golf score so that was pretty cool!

I am a big fan of Katty's Kitchen where I have recently been reading recipes for the most incredible summer fruit desserts including a blueberry almond cake that really caught my attention as well as one with cherries and the list goes on, better to just check it out for yourself! I found this recipe for Nanny's Summer Fruit Crisp and right away I noticed a few things about her recipe that I liked, for one browning the oats in butter for the crisp topping, yummy, what a great idea! I'm not usually a big lover of crisp topping with oatmeal because I find it heavy, too chewy and distracting from the rest of the fruit crisp. This recipe calls for instant oats which are lighter in texture and blend in perfectly with the rest of the topping ingredients. The only thing I added or changed about the recipe was the addition of a handful of toasted chopped walnuts because I was afraid that I might not have enough crisp topping for all my individual dishes, oh no! not that!!

I also added some ripe nectarines from the fruit bowl on my counter, for a little variety and of course for the beautiful color. The amount of sugar called for in the recipe for the fruit mixture was perfect for me because my plums were a bit tart but you can play with the amount of sugar if you think it should be less.

The crisp topping as I mentioned before is rich and delicious with the oatmeal sauteed in the butter, the toasted walnuts and the cinnamon. I used a little baking spray in the dishes before I filled them with fruit and topping for an easier clean up, same reason I use parchment paper in case they bubble over the sides.

Look, just enough space on top of the crisp for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, right after I reheat them before serving for dessert!

Just a quick picture of oregano blossoms and nasturtium flowers before I give you this wonderful recipe, thanks for inspiring me with your food blog Hope!

Nanny's Fruit Crisp
Adapted from the recipe files of Eva Maturo & Hope Simmons

For the Fruit

4 cups fruit: plums and nectarines
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar

Spray or butter the dishes, 8-10 small individual dishes, or one 8 inch square pan. In a large bowl combine the fruit with the sugar and cornstarch, stir to mix together and coat the fruit. Divide up the fruit between the small dishes or place in one larger pan, set aside.


For the Crisp Topping

1 stick butter, melted in a large saute pan
1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Spray or butter the dishes, 8-10 small individual dishes, or one 8 inch square pan. Add the quick oats to the melted butter, cook and stir for at least 3 minutes to get the oats lightly browned. In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and the oat mixture. Spread the crisp topping over the fruit. Bake for 400°F for 30 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is light brown. Top with ice cream or enjoy it just the way it is.