Classic Summer Fruit Desserts

With so much tasty fresh fruit available right now, it's the perfect time to make some good old-fashioned summer desserts.

On The Early Show Friday, cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie shared recipes for delicious, down-home classics: crisps, cobblers and buckles. And they're easier than pies.

She gave her lesson during "The Five-Minute Cooking School" from the flagship store in Manhattan of specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma.

Crisps are dishes of baked fruit topped with a crumbly topping made from butter, sugar, and usually oatmeal or chopped nuts.

A cobbler is fruit baked with a biscuit-like topping; it is essentially an upside-down pie with the crust on the top.

A buckle is just a simple batter cake topped with lots of fruit.

RECIPES

Apricot-Almond Crisp

When fruit is baked, the flesh breaks down and the juices are released. These juices are an integral part of many desserts, since they contain a lot of flavor, but often they must be thickened so the dish doesn't become soggy or liquidy. Both tapioca and cornstarch can be used to thicken fruit desserts. If you use quick-cooking, or instant, tapioca for thickening, tiny, tender bits of tapioca will be visible, while cornstarch bakes up smoothly.

For the topping:
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 cup sliced almonds

For the filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 lb. apricots, pitted and diced

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 12-inch oval or 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking dish with a 2-quart capacity.

To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. Add the sliced almonds and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, tapioca, fresh ginger and salt. Place the apricots in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar mixture and toss to distribute evenly. Spread the apricot mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apricots.

Bake until the topping is crisp and golden brown and the apricot filling bubbles slowly, about 50 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Fruit Dessert, by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

For more recipes, go to Page 2.Blackberry Cobbler

Instead of using only blackberries, try mixing in some raspberries and blueberries, as well. Or replace the blackberries with sliced peaches or nectarines and a handful of dried sour cherries or cranberries. A combination of three or four plum varieties, all pitted and quartered, is also wonderful. If you'd like, add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg or a dash of vanilla or almond extract to the fruit. Or sprinkle a small handful of sliced almonds or chopped pecans over the topping before baking.

For the filling:
6 cups blackberries or a mix of seasonal berries
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt

For the topping:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 2-qt baking dish.

To make the filling, in a bowl, gently toss the berries with the sugar, flour, zest and salt until blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, fold gently until the flour is moistened and the mixture forms a soft dough.

Drop heaping spoonfuls of the dough onto the fruit, spacing them evenly; the dough will not completely cover the fruit. Bake until the filling is bubbling, the topping is browned and a toothpick inserted into the topping comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8 to 10.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Plum Buckle

Fresh plums are available from late spring through summer. You will find these juicy fruits in an assortment of colors, from yellow and green to deep pink, purple and scarlet. Check the varieties available at your local farmers' market and choose firm, fragrant fruits with sweet, tangy flesh, such as Simka, Santa Rosa, Seneca or Satsuma.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
6 to 8 plums, about 1 lb. total, halved, pitted and each half cut into 4 slices
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and coat the paper with more spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and the 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Poke the plum slices into the batter, placing them close together. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and the 1 Tbs. sugar and sprinkle over the surface.

Bake until the top is golden, the edges pull away from the pan, and a skewer or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Fruit Dessert, by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2004).