Plum, Apple, and Dried Cherry Crisp

The weekend is a great time to bake. It's an activity you can do with your kids that will provide them with a healthy treat to enjoy afterwards and will fill your home with a wonderful sweet aroma your family will appreciate. 

Personally, I think the trick to making a great crisp is first creating a fruit mixture with great consistency and balanced sweetness, and second, having a great crunchy topping. 

This recipe accomplishes both.  The consistency of the fruit filling is thick and perfectly sweetened with the mixture of flour and sugar, while the topping is sweet and wonderfully crunchy with the mix of sugars, oatmeal, and the genius addition of slivered almonds.

When shopping for your ingredients, visit Rogers Orchards on Long Bottom Road in Southington for your apples and fresh fruit.  They're featuring a sale of 24 Ida Red Apples for 7.99!

This is a delicious and nutritious dessert your family will be sure to enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

• When I made this, plums were on sale, but you can use whatever mixture of fruit you want.
• I didn't peel the fruit because I loved the colors the peels provided, but next time I will peel before slicing the fruit for a smoother consistency.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream!
  
  Plum, Apple, and Dried Cherry Crisp
  Adapted from Ina Garten here and here.

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
8 plums
4 large Ida Red, Granny Smith, or Empire apples
3/4 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons orange juice

Topping:
1  1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons ( 2 sticks) cold butter, diced
1 cup oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Directions

Begin by peeling and slicing your plums and apples into 1 inch thick slices.  Combine your plums and apples in a large mixing bowl and add the dried cherries. Then add your sugar, flour, and orange juice. Mix until combined and transfer into a 9x13 baking dish.

To prepare your topping, combine your flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse three times to mix your ingredients. Meanwhile, slice your butter into 1/2 inch thick slices, making sure your butter is cold. Add your butter to the food processor. Pulse until your butter is the size of peas.

Transfer your mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the oats. Mix with your hands until the oats are incorporated. Take large handfuls and squeeze to form large bunches of your mixture. Continue until large crumbles form. Add the slivered almonds and mix until combined. Evenly spread the topping over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle with additional brown sugar and slivered almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.