Nectarine Slump

- Amanda

Slump is the most easy-going one in the family of fruit-and-dough desserts like buckle, betty, crumble and grunt. This slump's dough is extra fluffy, indulged with mascarpone and barely held together with flour, so it's more like a custardy comforter laid atop your fruit. When the one pictured above emerged from the oven, Kristen noted its raised edges and said it should be called a shrug, not a slump.

I used nectarines because this year's local nectarines were sweet beauties. But I've made this recipe (which is adapted from "Under the Tuscan Sun") with peaches and apricots, too. In a couple of weeks, I'd slip in those oval Italian plums. Happy shrugging!

Nectarine Slump

Adapted from "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "Cooking for Mr. Latte"

Serves 10

• 8 tablespoons salted butter plus more for greasing casserole dish, softened
• About 1 1/2 pounds ripe, sweet nectarines, pitted and quartered
• 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups mascarpone
• 1/8 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 
  

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wipe the inside of a large shallow casserole with a generous amount of butter. Cover the base, but not too snugly, with nectarine quarters, cut side up. Sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon sugar.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and the remaining 1 cup sugar. When it's nice and fluffy white, beat in the eggs, then the mascarpone and almond extract. Fold in the flour by hand.

3. Spoon this mixture over the nectarines and spread it close to the edges of the casserole. Bake in the oven, until the sides rise and warp and the center is just set, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.