Recipes Desserts Nectarine-and-Plum Crisp with Oatmeal Streusel 5.0 (363) Add your rating & review It's not easy to make a healthy crisp: The topping always has lots of butter and sugar. John Currence makes his streusel with a mix of oats, whole wheat flour and brown sugar and a little butter-oil blend to keep it crumbly. More Fruit Desserts By John Currence John Currence John Currence is a James Beard Award-winning chef from New Orleans whose career began close to four decades ago. Widely recognized for his contribution to Southern cuisine, he owns and operates four restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi, including City Grocery, and is the author of three acclaimed cookbooks.Education: In 1987, John graduated with a degree in political science from Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia.Experience: Born in New Orleans, John Currence's early culinary influences included traveling in Europe with his parents and time spent hunting and fishing in South Louisiana. Technically, his career began right after high school when he cooked for a summer on a tugboat in the Gulf of Mexico; his first on-land kitchen experience was at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he worked under the legendary Southern chef Bill Neal.Back in New Orleans, he was mentored by acclaimed chef Larkin Selman at Gautreau's, one of the city's most iconic fine dining destinations. Eventually John settled in Oxford, Mississippi, where he opened the popular restaurant City Grocery, followed by three others: Bouré, Big Bad Breakfast, and Snackbar. He has also authored three cookbooks and made appearances on TV, including as a contestant on Top Chef Masters Season 3 and shows like Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.Accolades: In 2009, John won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South. The same year he won the Charleston Food and Wine Festival's Iron Chef Challenge. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 23, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © James Baigrie Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients Filling ½ cup golden raisins 1 cup hot water ¾ cup light brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup fresh orange juice 6 ripe nectarines (cut into 1/2-inch wedges) 6 ripe plums (cut into 1/2-inch wedges) Streusel 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats ½ cup whole wheat flour ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ⅔ cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons cold butter-oil blend Directions Make the Streusel: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, soak the raisins in the hot water for 20 minutes; drain. Stir in the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, lemon juice and orange juice. Fold in the nectarines and plums. Scrape the fruit into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. In a bowl, combine the oats, flours, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon. Work in the butter blend. Press the streusel into clumps and sprinkle over the fruit. Bake the crisp for 30 minutes, until the fruit is tender and the topping is golden. Let cool for 20 minutes, then serve. Rate it Print