Plum Crisp

One of the easiest desserts in the repertoire … As long as you have fruit on hand, and flour, oats, butter, and spices, you can throw this together at the last minute—or last half hour—and have a scrumptious dessert hot out of the oven. SAM

PS Add 1/4 cup brown sugar if you like a sweeter dessert, but the dates make it very sweet. 

2 1/2 pounds ripe plums, thinly sliced
7 ounces dates, pitted and chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Dash of freshly ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
4 tablespoons butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch deep-casserole dish. In a large chef’s pan over medium heat, heat the plums, dates, and lemon juice until bubbly. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. With a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Do not overwork. Pour the plum mixture into the casserole dish and top with the flour mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Makes 6 servings.