Sweets are often used as a means to celebrate. We make big cakes for big occasions, create masterpieces, and tactically justify our guilty pleasures by sharing them around. And while it's fun to prepare such flights of fancy, my personal preference is for a much humbler treat. For a simple pleasure that is befitting of the time, the season, and the place.

Like this latticework pie of plums and raspberries, with its bubbling sweet juices and cinnamon-laced crust. The blood plums, taken fresh from my mother's garden, combine magically with the warm, sweet raspberries to create a filling that is lusciously hot and tart. Topped off with a pastry that is buttery and crisp, this is a dessert that is vibrant, comforting and ever so delicious.

The perfect sweet indulgence when you've precious time to spare...