Late Summer Cobbler
This scrumptious cobbler tastes of lazy summer days and nights with friends and family enjoying the best of life. Poaching the plums ensures a deeply flavored ambrosial syrup that soaks into the biscuit-like cobbler. The combo is the perfect pairing with thick cream.
Late Summer Cobbler
Serves 6-8
Poaching
If you’ve got leftover white wine or bubbles, this is a delicious recipe for using it up.
You can poach the fruit up to 24 hours in advance.
¾ cup white wine, prosecco, or Champagne
1 tablespoon orange zest
¾ cup fresh orange juice
1 cup sugar
8 plums, pitted and sliced into 6 pieces each
Directions
Combine wine, zest, juice, and sugar in a skillet with at least two-inch deep sides. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to a steady boil, watch to make sure it doesn’t foam up and boil over. Reduce liquid to a medium-thick syrup, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir regularly and keep a close eye as you do not want it to turn into caramel.
Add plums and stir. Poach for 12 to 15 minutes, until the plums have given off their juices and the liquid has thickened. Remove from heat. Refrigerate in a sealed container if not using within four hours.
Cobbler and assemblage
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon orange zest
¾ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
½ cup milk
¼ cup cream plus 1 tablespoon cream to brush cobbler
2 cups fresh blueberries
3 nectarines, pitted and cubed into small chunks
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar into a medium bowl. Add orange zest and butter. Use a pastry cutter to blend butter into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add 1/3 cup of the milk and all the cream. Mix with a fork. Add remaining milk as needed for a ball to form. Do not overwork.
Lightly flour a work surface. Place dough on the surface and pat into a disc. Use a rolling pin to roll 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Reform scraps into a disc and cut additional rounds. Use a pastry brush to coat the tops with the tablespoon of cream.
Place plums in a deep-dish pie pan. Fold in blueberries and nectarines. Top with the cobbler rounds. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place in the middle of oven and bake until the cobbler is a rich golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with plenty of whipped cream. Cobbler can be made early in the day and reheated in a 200° oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Title Photo: © Anjelika Gretskaia
Sally Uhlmann’s passion for cooking led her to publish a memoir-style cookbook, “Just Cook with Sally.” She splits her time between the States and her farmhouse in Cortona, Italy, when she is not traveling the world. Sally cooks, develops recipes, and writes stories—mostly about the intersection of food, travel, and her life.
