Simply Summer—Fruit
Sometimes, in cooking and in life, simple solutions are best.
Take desserts in summer. When we have a wealth of beautiful fresh fruit, why make a frosted cake?
The recipe below, more or less a crisp, takes summer fruit and adds just a select few ingredients before popping it all in the oven.
The original recipe, from the American Institute for Cancer Research, listed an optional topping of a tablespoon of shredded coconut. But when summer fruit is so good, it doesn’t need the flavor boost. Heck, you could skip the nutmeg and cinnamon, too.
Bonus: Just 180 calories and 6 grams of fat in a serving.
Baked Summer Fruit
Recipe adapted from American Institute for Cancer Research. Frozen, pitted unsweetened fruit may be substituted.
Cooking spray
4 cups mixed stone fruit (plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches), peeled, pitted and sliced
1 pound cherries, pitted and halved
4 tablespoons whole-wheat flour, divided use
4 tablespoons brown sugar, divided use
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
In mixing bowl combine sliced stone fruits with cherries. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar; gently toss.
In another mixing bowl, make topping by combining oats, almonds and remaining flour and sugar. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Gently whisk to mix. Stir in oil and honey thoroughly to blend.
Spread the fruit mixture in the baking dish. Pour the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbly and topping is slightly browned, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
(Photo courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research)
