Plum and Raspberry Crisp

You could use almost any combination of summer fruits in this, but sweet-tart ripe plums are perfect with tart raspberries. Choose red or green plums; prune plums come in to season later in the summer and work beautifully too. Peaches or apricots would stand in well for the plums, and earlier in the season, you could sneak in some rhubarb instead of the raspberries. Baking the topping for a few minutes while the fruit begins to cook makes it much more crisp.

Makes 1 large crisp, about 8 servings

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CRISP TOPPING
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into dry-measure cup and level)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, optional

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 FILLING

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup turbinado or light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/2 pounds ripe plums, rinsed, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 half-pint baskets raspberries, picked over but not washed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Whipped cream, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream for serving

1. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter an 8- to 10-cup baking dish and cover a jelly-roll pan with foil.
2. For the topping, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nuts, if using, together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a rubber spatula to fold it in evenly. Let the crumb mixture stand while preparing the fruit.
3. For the filling, mix the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl, then stir in the plums and lemon zest. Pour half the plum filling into the prepared baking dish and scatter on half of the raspberries. Repeat with the remaining plums and raspberries. Dot with the butter.
4. Break the crumb mixture into 1/4- to 1/2-inch crumbs and scatter them on the prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake the crumbs until they are set and beginning to color, about 15 minutes.
5. Use a bench scraper or metal spatula to break up the crumb topping if it has clumped together. Scatter the pieces on top of the fruit, using a large spoon if the crumbs are still hot.
6. Bake the crisp until the fruit is tender and bubbling and the crumbs are a deep golden color, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm with whipped cream, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream.