Makes 6 servings
A cobbler is the dessert of choice when the season brings soft fruits with lots
of juice. The sweet-biscuit topping for this one is light and cakey and just
about begs to be soaked with the flavorful syrup that comes with cooked
fruits. To make the topping, you stir the ingredients together with a fork and
drop the batter over the fruit — it’s a biscuit recipe for a beginner, no cutting
in butter, no fretting over working the dough too much or too little. As with
so many of the best homemade classics, this is less a formula than a
construct — one 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and this recipe, and you’re on
your way to a lifetime of cobblers.
a word on serving
I like to spoon the cobbler out of the dish and serve it in bowls, with some of
the fruit juices around it, but some people like the cobbler upside down,
biscuit on the bottom, the fruit on top and the juice soaking into the biscuit.
Ice cream or whipped cream is a good move no matter how you serve it.
For the fruit
3 pounds (about 1½ kg) peaches
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar, or to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
1 cup (150 grams) blueberries (optional)
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
For the biscuit topping
1½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) cold buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)
Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Butter a 9-inch deepdish
pie plate and put it on the baking sheet.
TO M A K E T H E F R U I T: I know this may sound sacrilegious, but I no longer peel
peaches for cobblers, crisps or pies — I actually like the extra bit of chew that
you get with the skins and it speeds up the prep. But if you want to peel
them, cut a shallow X in the base of each peach. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Drop in the peaches a few at a time, leave for about 15 seconds, lift out and
transfer to a bowl filled with very cold water and ice cubes. Leave for a
couple of minutes, then drain and peel.
Cut the peaches into bite-sized chunks or slices and toss them into the pie
plate. Taste and decide how much sugar you want and then, if you’d like, add
some lemon juice. Add the blueberries, if you’re using them, and then make
a decision about the cornstarch: It’s only a tiny bit, but it will thicken the
juices a little. If your peaches are very ripe, I’d add it. Give everything a good
stir and set aside.
TO M A K E T H E B I S C U I T TO P P I N G : Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking
powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup or
another bowl, whisk together the cream and buttermilk. Pour the liquid
ingredients over the dry and, using a table fork, stir until the flour is evenly
dampened and you’ve got a moist batter.
Using a medium (1½-tablespoon capacity) scoop or a tablespoon, dollop
the topping over the fruit — leave a little space between each pouf of batter.
Bake the cobbler for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown
and, most important, the fruit juices are boiling under, and maybe up,
through and over, the biscuits. Transfer to a rack and let cool for at least 20
minutes, or until the cobbler reaches room temperature, before serving,
with or without ice cream or whipped cream.
S TO R I N G : The cobbler is best the day it is made. You can keep it covered
overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator, but the biscuit topping
will never make you as happy as it does soon after it comes out of the oven.
BISCUIT SHORTCAKES
The same batter that makes the topping for the cobbler makes lovely
shortcakes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet. Use a
large (3-tablespoon capacity) scoop or a tablespoon to portion out the
batter, dropping the biscuits on the baking sheet 3 inches apart. Bake for 17
to 19 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and set. You’ll get 10 biscuits for
sure, and maybe another one or two. Let them rest until they’re just warm or
at room temperature before serving. These won’t be very high, but they will
be very tender, so either cut them in half or just smush them and put juicy
fruit on top. Choose whatever soft fruit and/or berries you’d like, cut the
fruit into bite-sized pieces, if necessary, and toss them with some sugar, so
that they create a syrup. Serve the shortcakes with whipped cream.
Playing Around
You can vary the cobbler according to what fruits are in season and within
reach: Just know that you need a scant 6 cups cut-up fruit, sugar to taste and, if
you’d like, lemon juice. I love an all-berry cobbler — mix whatever berries you
can get and, if you want, cut in some ripe mango; add 1 to 2 tablespoons
cornstarch to the berries — they’re very juicy. Plums make a pretty cobbler and
are nice in combination with peaches or nectarines. I adore apricots, though it
can be hard to find good ones — but when you bake them in a cobbler, even so-so
apricots can shine. In spring, go with rhubarb and strawberries (and some
cornstarch).
DROP-BISCUIT PEACH COBBLER
by
rehaiem
on
10:46
Makes 6 servings A cobbler is the dessert of choice when the season brings soft fruits with lots of juice. The sweet-biscuit topping for thi...
