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
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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