Baked Nectarines with Gingerbread Topping

Our kitchen has been out of commission while Steve has replaced our garbage disposal, added a Chilipepper, and fixed some plumbing issues.  Needless to say, it's hard to test peach and nectarine recipes without being able to use the kitchen.  Undaunted, I gathered up some ingredients and took them to our friend Suzzi's house, where I had access to a 100% operational kitchen.

My idea was to do some sort of baked nectarines with a streusel topping.  I started with some basic streusel ingredients (flour, sugar, butter) and added some spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves).  I mixed and adjusted until the streusel tasted like gingerbread, then spread a heavy coat on top of nectarine slices.

(I didn't actually make this poolside.  I couldn't get a good picture indoors, so I brought in out for a photo.)

I put it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  When it came out, the nectarines were perfectly cooked, but the topping (I can't reasonably call it streusel anymore) was unevenly cooked.  Some of it was gooey, some crumbly.  Since there were no ingredients that needed cooking for food safety reasons, I served it up as is.    

(Just out of the oven.  It smelled amazing.)

Despite its less-than-perfect appearance, it was absolutely delicious!  The topping had all the flavors of gingerbread and was an ideal complement to the nectarines.  It was wonderful on its own, but I imagine it would be even better over ice cream or under whipped cream (or both!)

I have mixed feelings about this recipe.  It isn't exactly a cool, light, summery dish, ideal for perfectly ripe nectarines.  And it's not very pretty.  On the other hand, it is delicious!  I don't plan to do any further experimentation with this one, but if I did, my first step would be to stir the topping into the nectarine slices so that they were all evenly coated instead of just sprinkling it on top. 

Baked Nectarines with Gingerbread Topping

                                 6 nectarines, sliced                  1/2 tsp. nutmeg

                                 1/2 c. flour                              1/2 tsp. ginger

                                 1/2 c. brown sugar                   1/4 tsp. cloves

                                 1 tsp. cinnamon                       1/4 c. butter

Spread the nectarine slices evenly in a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle topping evenly over nectarine slices.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.