Just Baking

 This Memorial Day, why not make a memorable dessert you can pull together while the burgers are on the grill and serve just as everyone’s starting to feel like they just might have a little room for dessert after all? If you keep all these items on hand in your pantry — and you might just have all or most of them on hand already — this is perfect for when the dessert craving strikes and you don’t feel like making a grocery run.

If you have a houseful of guests and need to serve more than 8, no problem. Double the recipe and bake it in a 13- x 9-inch glass baking dish. Don’t like cherries? Sub out the cherry pie filling with apple or blueberry. Store any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or oven, if desired.

Cherry-Walnut Crisp

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup quick oats (not instant)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature (the real thing, please)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling (do not use “lite”)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray the bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flours, sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl and cut butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped walnuts. Distribute half of the crumb mixture over the bottom of the casserole and lightly pat down to smooth. Spoon the cherry pie filling over this base. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the pie filling. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the crumbs turn golden brown and the cherry filling bubbles up around the edges of the crumb topping. Let cool fifteen minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes about 8 servings.