Stephen Albert
The fruit cobbler has an interesting history. It was invented in America sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. Where is not exactly clear; some say the midwest; others say the west. The names of American cobblers are a study in themselves: the Betty, the Grunt, the Slump, the Buckle, and the Sonker. And those don’t include the Crisp or the Crumble.
Here is a tasty Aprium-Peach Cobbler that you can put together easily in late summer when the universes of ripe apriums and peaches intersect. Now, this could have been an aprium cobbler, or a peach cobbler, or an apricot cobbler. But the apriums and the peaches were just a few steps apart at the farmers’ market, so aprium-peach cobbler it was. (Also of interest: Peaches: Kitchen Basics)
As you will see there is a bit of lemon zest added to this recipe. That’s because the aprium and the peach are both quite sugary and sweet. If you decide to use a berry, such as raspberry, in place of the peach or aprium, the tart berries will balance the flavors and bit less lemon zest will do. You can have fun with this recipe substituting nectarines for peaches or plums for the apriums. This could be a peach-raspberry cobbler or a peach-plum cobbler or….well, just have fun!
Aprium-Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
Biscuits:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons margarine or butter
- 1 beaten egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
Filling:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 2 cups apriums, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar or more for the biscuit topping at baking
- Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream
Instructions
- For the biscuit topping: In a medium bowl stir together the flour, the ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine or butter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs. Combine the egg and milk and set aside.
- For the filling: In a medium saucepan combine the ½ cup sugar and cornstarch; add water. Combine the peaches and apriums, lemon peel zest, and lemon juice and stir. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly; stir gently so as not to break up the fruit. Transfer hot filling to a shallow 2-quart casserole.
- Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry ingredients, stirring just till moist. Spoon the topping into 6 to 8 mounds on the hot filling. Sprinkle liberally with 1 or more teaspoons of sugar.
- Bake in a 400ºF oven for 10 to 40 minutes (more time means the filling will be thicker and more gooey) or until a toothpick inserted into the biscuit topping comes out clean. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.
Courses Dessert
