A summer fruit cobbler when paired with ice cream is one of my favorite seasonal treats. I made this recipe for a July 4th family gathering. It was a hit. I’d made it in the morning rush and didn’t taste the fruit. I used 10 skin-removed peaches that were a perfect blend of sweet and tart. Their skins slipped of easily after being dunked in boiling water for about 30 seconds.
I didn’t taste the plums before they went into the mix. They looked perfect but in retrospect, perhaps a little too firm. When I tasted the cobbler at the table, I knew they were super sour. If I’d sampled one before putting the fruit mix together, I would have added a little more sugar.
Oh well, an ample amount of ice cream accompanied each serving, and no one complained. Not even a smidgen of that cobbler was leftover.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
10 cups fresh fruit’ see cook’s notes
1 3/4 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
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
1 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
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
For serving: ice cream
Cook’s notes: I used 10 medium peaches (peeled, pitted, cut into wedges), 8 medium plums (pitted, cut into wedges), 1 cup blackberries, and 1 1/2 cups pitted fresh cherries. But you can use other fruit if you wish, such as apricots or peeled nectarines. Blueberries or raspberries would also be delicious.
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat to 375 degrees. It’s a time saving step to melt the 1/4 cup butter at this time and set it aside to cool. 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.
2. Whisk mascarpone, 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.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, divide dough into 9 mounds (about 1/4 inch each) and arrange on top of fruit filling. Brush dough mounds with remaining 2 tablespoons cream; sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
5. 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.
Source: 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.
