I thought I’d end the week with dessert because it’s getting to be the time of year where baked desserts sound really delicious. A slight chill in the air means that it’s time for cinnamon and nutmeg to crawl out of the spice cabinet. I love the flavors of fall; they are full of spice and the essence of comfort food. I chose to make this cobbler with peaches and plums because they are in peak season right now and are going to fade out of markets in the next few weeks. The sweetness of the peaches is complimented by the slightly sour bite in the plums, making a perfectly balanced dessert. Instead of an oatmeal topping like I featured in the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble, I made this dish with a a slightly old-fashioned biscuit topping. The flakey biscuits take just a few minutes to make but are an unforgettable component to the dish. Their flakey texture soaks up the sweet and cinnamony juices from the fruit while providing that buttery crunch that you often crave when desserts get too healthy. For a little extra decadence, add a small scoop of vanilla bean or caramel ice cream.
Makes: 8- 10 servings
Prep Time: 50 minutes Baking Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
For Biscuit Topping:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup buttermilk
For Cobbler:
6 peaches, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
4 plums, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbs all purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 pint vanilla or caramel ice cream, optional
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- For the biscuits: whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mix using a pastry blender. Continue to mix by hand until the butter is pea-sized and the mix starts to look like wet sand. Add the buttermilk and fold into the flour until it’s well combined. Knead the dough until just combined, pat it into a flat disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for as little as 30 minutes, as long as overnight.
- For the cobbler: whisk together the brown sugar through salt in a large bowl. Add the sliced plums and peaches to the bowl and mix well with your hands so that everything is well coated.
- Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Add the fruit in an even layer.
- Remove the biscuit topping from the refrigerator and lay on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough so that it’s about 1/2 inch thick. You can choose to layer the biscuit topping in two ways. You can use a circle cutter to cut large circle biscuits from the top and layer them across the top to create a solid top on the cobbler. Or you can cut the dough into 2 inch pieces and lay it sporadically on top, more of a rustic look.
- Bake the cobbler for 30-40 minutes, or until the liquid in the fruit starts to bubble. The biscuit topping should be light brown and cooked through.
- Serve hot with a small scoop of ice cream.
Cooking In Red Socks 