Nectarine Plum Crisps

Let's kick things off here with a tasty recipe :-9  My hubby cut this out of a Taste of Home magazine earlier this summer, which is a little unusual, because usually he chooses the main and side dish recipes, and I go for the desserts.  But he really wanted me to make these... and I didn't have any ramekins.  Or custard cups.  Lame, I know, because I bake so much, but true.  So this recipe sat on our island for a couple of months, until we finally got around to buying ramekins last weekend.  It turns out that this recipe is really great for the under-ripe kinds of plums and nectarines you find when they're out of season, so if you're craving those fruits but it's not summer, this is a good recipe for you!  Here's the original recipe, and I'll post my version, which I've added a few instructions and tips to.

Nectarine Plum Crisps

Ingredients:

1 pkg (9 oz) apple crisp mix (find it near the apples in the produce section)
6 Tbsp. butter, cubed
2 cups sliced fresh nectarines
2 cups sliced fresh plums
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. cornstarch
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:

Place the apple crisp mix in a small bowl and cut in butter until crumbly.  Spoon half of this mixture into four 10-oz ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray.  Reserve the rest of the mixture to use as topping.

In another bowl, combine the nectarines, plums, and cornstarch; toss to coat.  If your fruit is a little under-ripe and not very juicy, cut it down to 1 1/2 tsp.  Spoon into your ramekins/cups over the crumb layer, and sprinkle with reserved mixture.  Go ahead and mound these up over the rim a little, as the fruit is going to cook down -- you can see in my picture that the fruit is down below the rims, and I had filled them just a little over.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Serve warm; top with ice cream if desired.

Supposedly, this makes 4 servings, but my hubby and I shared one with ice cream and had plenty, so I'd say it's 8 reasonable servings or 4 really big ones.