black-tarine-berry whole wheat crisp

i had peach crisp in mind when i went to the farmers market this evening, but the nectarines were riper, so i started there. then i saw the blackberries…

wow. the size of plums! and sooo tasty.

so here we are. two large and two small nectarines and about 18-20 very large blackberries.

i chopped the nectarines pretty small and tossed them with a little sugar, salt, nutmeg (great with stone fruit and dark leafy greens. not at the same time necessarily) and about a tablespoon of corn starch. i’ll usually squeeze some lemon juice over it, too, but i didn’t have a lemon around tonight.

i didn’t want the blackberries to fall apart, so i didn’t toss them, but set half of them in a glass pie plate, poured the nectarines around, then nestled the rest around the top

for the crisp topping, i decided to use whole wheat flour and WOW. such yummy, dark flavor. a less guilt! i can’t believe i haven’t done this before.

crisp topping
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt

mix together and squeeze through your fingers until everything is combined and looks like sand.

sprinkle liberally over the fruit – i ended up with a some leftover, which will keep fine in the fridge for all your emergency crisp needs – and bake at 400 degrees until the fruit is bubbly and the top is golden.

sometimes this can take up to 40-45 minutes, but because i made mine in a shallow pie plate, it only took about 25 (plus, you get a higher topping-to-fruit ratio!)

skillet cookie

i don’t really have another way to say this except, GO! do yourself a favor and MAKE IT TONIGHT!

sorry for the yelling. recipe from martha.

mini dessert party

who doesn’t love mini desserts? here are a few i made recently for a celebration at work.

tiny lemon curd and blueberry tartlets.

this is a low-effort, high-impact one. the tart shells can be bought at your local speciality grocer or super-large grocery store (my whole paycheck does not carry them, however). they are about the size of a quarter. i keep a box around at all times because they are perfect for whipping up a last-minute dessert or app that is sure to impress.

lemon curd is easy and can be made way in advance. washing blueberries is also easy. the only trick to this is that the shells soften pretty quickly, so fill them right before you serve and remind your guests you just can’t have leftovers!

mini buttermilk cupcakes with vanilla frosting.

the secret to mini cupcakes is having a large mini cupcake pan. i used to make mine in a pan that had only six cups and it was brutal – all that filling and waiting and cooling over and over. so i recently invested in a professional-grade mini cupcake pan and it’s a godsend. makes 24 in a batch, which is about a full recipe of batter that would yield a dozen regular ones. it makes all the difference. (and when i say “invest” i mean $36. hardly a bank-breaker)

i had a bit of batter left over and used it to make a baby birthday cake for my upstairs neighbor. it was a two-layer cake and there was a candle (not pictured).

yes, i have a mini cake stand.

little chocolate “bundts.”

ok, they aren’t really bundts because they don’t have that hole in the center, but they kind of look like it, right? make any chocolate cake or brownie recipe in a mini cupcake pan. cool them upside down and then dip them halfway in melted chocolate and top with sprinkles. i like variety on my dessert table and this is an easy way to basically serve chocolate cupcakes but have them not look repetitive of the vanilla. (this is how my mind works.)

i also made one-bite chocolate chip cookies. they had mini chocolate chips in them! but i scooped too much batter for each and they turned out almost “regular” size. oh well. they were still eaten!