Peach Plum Cobbler
Somebody (and I won't name names) couldn't wait for this to cool!
This came about because I bought too many peaches and plums in a desperate attempt to hold on to summer...which means I had a basket of nearly over ripe fruit on the counter that no one in my family was going to eat. I don't know about you, but it pains me to throw food away--maybe, not as much as my husband who has been known to pull a George Costanza now and then--but that's for another time. Anyway, I hadn't made a cobbler all summer and realized that now was the perfect time to do so!
This cobbler is super easy and tastes just as mouth watering as it looks. Basically you just cut up fruit, toss it with a little sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch and throw it in a baking dish to soften in the oven for about 10 minutes. Then, while that's cooking, you make the biscuit topping, and when the fruit mixture comes out of the oven, you just plop spoonfuls of the batter all over the top and pop it back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes. That's it. The combination of slightly tart fruit and crunchy sweet biscuit topping is irresistible. It smells intoxicating while baking and acts as a sort of Pied Piper, drawing everyone from various parts of your house into the kitchen.
My family of 5 and a couple of others, finished this in one sitting--actually, we all ate it standing around in the kitchen, hovering over the baking dish. Some ate it plain, others with a little leftover whipped cream from a birthday celebration we had earlier in the week, but it would be amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too. I'm so glad I made it and you will be too!
One of my nieces commented that it looks a little bit like a world map--I can definitely see the South America thing going on, can you?
Peach Plum Cobbler
Serves 6-8; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 35-40 minutes; Total Time: About 1 hour
Ingredients
- about 6-8 large ripe peaches and plums (or any combination of stone fruit), pitted and cut into thin wedges
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For biscuit topping
- 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup boiling water
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. Toss the fruit with the sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a 2 quart baking dish and bake in middle of oven for about 10 minutes.
3. While fruit is cooking, make the biscuit topping.
4. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in medium mixing bowl. Blend in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the water until just combined.
5. Remove fruit mixture from oven and drop spoonfuls of batter all over the fruit. The batter will spread as it cooks, so don't worry about making it evenly placed.
6. Bake in middle of oven another 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden.
7. Allow to cool slightly before serving or risk burned tongues!
Enjoy!
