In the past six months, 2011 turned into 2012, I celebrated turning 24, I traveled to Santa Cruz for work, my mom and baby sister were out here for spring break, and I was home for Memorial Day weekend.
But those momentous occasions, in addition to the spontaneous cross-country red eyes to the beloved east coast, the visits from friends from Northern California and New Jersey, the cooking classes, a new job, and plans to move back to the right coast for good seem to have all just happened. In reality, all of these things happened no less than one month ago, some as long as half a year ago.
HALF A YEAR?! SERIOUSLY?! I feel like time is whizzing past me at an uncontrollable speed and I’m not really sure how to deal with that. If this is a byproduct of getting older, I’d like to stop now. Lord, I wonder how my parents feel.
I’m going to blame the obnoxiously and perpetually beautiful Southern California weather for feeling like this. Look, I adore the 76-degree, zero-humidity weather and I’m not looking forward to moving to the east coast at the end of July (ew, muggy humidity). But because of this irritatingly perfect weather I find myself unable to differentiate the beginning of July from the end of December and THAT is frustrating as hell.
As compelling a reason the SoCal weather was for me to move out here initially, as much as I despise an east coast winter, I miss the seasons on that coast — the crackling fireplaces during the holidays, the first teasing days of spring, the booming thunder and flooding rain in the summer, the color of the leaves in the fall. I realize come November I might be eating my words, but I’ve had enough of the year-round cloudless skies and palm tree-lined boulevards. It’s time to go home.
Here is super simple, super summery recipe that has me longing for a sticky hot, firefly-dotted, grill smoke-dusted, chlorine-scented summer night on the east coast. I’ll be there soon enough.
Raspberry Nectarine Crisp (Inspired by Joy’s Peach and Raspberry Crumble)
{for the topping}
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
{for the filling}
2 pints fresh raspberries
6-7 ripe nectarines, sliced
1 cup topping mixture
splash of vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (or use non-stick spray) an 8×8-inch baking dish and set aside.
Combine all topping ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Using your hands, break up the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Place nectarines and raspberries in a large bowl. Toss about a cup of the topping mixture into the berries and use a spatula to incorporate.
Transfer the fruit into the 8×8-inch baking dish. Spread the remaining topping evenly over the fruit, covering it completely. Bake for 28-30 minutes until top is golden and crispy and fruit is bubbling.
Let the crisp cool slightly before serving (5-10 minutes). Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and toast to everything summer means to you.
dessert for three
Ready to Salivate 