A summer fruit cobbler paired with ice cream is one of my favorite seasonal treats. I made this recipe for a recent family gathering, and it was a hit.
I’d made it in the morning rush, though, and didn’t taste the fruit. The peaches were fine. I used 10 peaches that were a perfect blend of sweet and tart, and their skins slipped off easily after being dunked in boiling water for about 30 seconds.
But I didn’t taste the plums before they went into the mix. They looked perfect but in retrospect, perhaps a little too firm, and when I tasted the cobbler at the table, the plums were pretty sour. If I’d sampled one before I made the cobbler, I would have added a little more sugar.
Oh well, an ample amount of ice cream accompanied each serving. No one complained, and not even a smidgen of that cobbler was leftover. The moral here is, taste the fruit and adjust the sugar for the best results — but if you forget, don’t sweat it. This is a very forgiving recipe, and ice cream makes everything better.
Summer Fruit Cobbler
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
10 cups fresh fruit, such as sliced peaches and plums, blackberries and pitted fresh cherries
1¾ cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided use
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
6 tablespoons heavy cream, divided use
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal
2½ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Ice cream for serving
DIRECTIONS
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss fruit, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, vinegar, zest, juice and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer mixture to a 3-quart baking dish (such as a 9-by-13-inch baking dish). Set aside.
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Whisk mascarpone, the cooled melted butter, 1/4 cup cream and vanilla in a medium bowl until mostly smooth; set aside.
In a separate large bowl whisk semolina flour, baking powder, remaining 1 cup all-purpose flour, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add mascarpone mixture to flour mixture; stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Using an ice cream scoop, divide dough into 9 mounds and arrange on top of fruit filling. Brush dough mounds with remaining 2 tablespoons cream; sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are golden brown and cobbler is bubbly and thickened in center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.
— Adapted from “Food and Wine Simple Suppers” by the editors of Food and Wine
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.
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