Baking with Olivia and Caroline

We had been trying to conjure something up for our fall recipe for a little while. We tossed around a few ideas, but landed on this one by chance. I went apple and plum picking and decided to make a crisp one evening as I was wanting something sweet. Caroline was coming for a visit the following day, so it was perfect timing. She tried it and said it was great for an October recipe. Done!  

While Caroline was here, we did a lot of thrifting. I’m always looking for dishes and kitchenware to use for photographs and Caroline is slowly replicating my collection of cooking gadgets. So of course we hit up our local favorite stores looking for kitchen items above all else. We were hoping to find the perfect dish to use for photographing the crisp but were striking out. We went to at least six different shops with our last stop being the Bargain Barn in Sharon, CT. Score! I found an oven-to-table dish with a plum on it. Caroline was on the hunt for an old-timey citrus juicer and found one after having searched for months. She couldn’t wait to get it back to the house, clean it up, and make fresh-squeezed orange juice, which was delish. 

I was busy showing everyone in the house my purchase, which was marked down at the register, which made me even more ecstatic. We traveled near and far and found exactly what we were looking for practically in our own backyard! I love how things work out perfectly sometimes. 

I also absolutely loved having Caroline, Connor, and their two dogs, Otis and Lucy, here for a few days. When we bake together, it is always so much fun and it completely warms my heart. We hope this crisp warms yours.

Ingredients for filling:

1 1/2 lbs plums
1 large apple
3/4 cups sugar
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
Dash salt

Ingredients for crisp topping:

3/4 cups old fashioned oats (not quick-cooking oats)
3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
6 tbs cold, cubed salted butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375º degrees. Grease a 9” x 9” baking pan.

Slice plums in half, remove pits and cut into quarters. Peel and shred the apple with a grater. We used Ginger Gold. You can use Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or any apple of your choice. Place sliced plums and shredded apple in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

For the crisp topping, place everything in the order of listed ingredients above. Cut in the cubed butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until loose crumbs form.

Pour the plum/apple mixture into the greased pan. Add the crumb topping and spread out evenly.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. You want the crumb topping to be nice and golden on top.  

Serve warm with a nice dollop of vanilla ice cream.

We are in fall cooking mode! Taste buds are changing with the season and plums and apples are just what we’re craving. We combined them to make this delicious crisp.

As always, enjoy. •

Olivia and Caroline are enthusiastic foodies and bakers who are constantly in the kitchen, as well as explorers who create their own adventures in our area – and did we mention they are mother and daughter? Follow Olivia on Instagram to see her many creations at @oliviawvalentine.