Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Nectarines & Raspberries

Summertime in California means stone fruit heaven. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, they are all gorgeous right now. If you time it right, you can buy them at a steal at the supermarket when they've reached the peak of ripeness.

I came home with three pounds of juicy, ripe nectarines last week. I prepped and froze some of them for smoothies, for the rest, I quickly dispatched into a beautifully hued Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp.

Makings of a fruit crisp

I adore fruit crisps for the fact that they are a no-brainer. With no dough to fuss with, crisp topping is essentially a super simple mixture of flour, rolled oats, sugar, and butter. You don't even need to bust out the mixer for this. I've found that my own two hands are the best tools to use for cutting in the butter.

Crisp topping

Top this over any fruit that is in season and you are golden. Apples? Piece of cake crisp. Blueberries? Easy as pie crisp. Ok, I'll spare you any more bad puns. My point is, you can top virtually anything with this crumbly, crunchy mixture and end up with something delicious.

Pretty

Peach-raspberry is the traditional combo, I suppose, but the peaches were rock hard while the nectarines were plump and tender when I bought them, so nectarine-raspberry it was. The sweet tart factor was right on, and that shock of pink and oranges was almost too pretty to eat.

This is the ideal, no-stress dessert. Instant home-baked goodness that looks like you spent way more time on it than you actually did. I love a deceptive dessert.

Fancy it up by making individual servings in ramekins, and finish it off with some ice cream or softly whipped cream.

Now doesn't that sound like the perfect ending to a summer night?

Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Ingredients:
For the fruit:
2 pounds ripe nectarines
6 ounces raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

For the topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1 pinch nutmeg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cut the nectarines into slices and combine with the raspberries, sugar, and corn starch in a large bowl. Mix gently to coat evenly. Place in a baking dish or ramekins.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Cut the butter into the mixture (using a pastry cutter or your fingers) until the butter is the size of peas and evenly distributed.
4. Bake until the top is golden and the fruit starts to bubble, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or softly whipped cream.