Summer’s coming to an end and kids are either back in school or getting ready to start. The heat is still going strong though and that remains true for some of summer’s best produce too. I have been on the lookout for some juicy purple plums like the one’s I’ve had recently on a friend’s boat. And just when I thought they were done for the year here in Istanbul, I spotted some at this week’s organic bazaar. I had already purchased some of the smaller, Black Sea plums with the yellow-ish green flesh but when I saw the bigger ones with the red interior, I grabbed a few and figured I could combine them for this Late Summer Plum Crisp. The result was a beautiful crimson, bubbly concoction of sweet and tart with a crunchy topping.

While plums aren’t the first fruit I’d grab to munch on in the summer, when they’re perfectly ripe, they do hit the spot with their contrasting sweet and sour notes. Not to mention they’re gorgeous and can make for some stunning desserts. I’ll admit, neither of my two little ones love plums, unless perhaps it’s in puree form and swirled into some oatmeal for my toddler. But neither had a problem gobbling up this plum crisp with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, which was a moment of relief for me as I had made it to celebrate Mr. T’s first day back to school.

If you can still get your hands on some plums before summer’s end, do give this Late Summer Plum Crisp a try. Don’t like walnuts? Swap for pistachios for a colorful addition or maybe sliced almonds or omit the nuts altogether. Have some apples or peaches to use up, swap the fruit or add them to the plums for a hit combo. Either way, you’ve got a delicious dessert in very little time with minimal effort. Just be sure to grab some vanilla ice cream. You won’t regret it.