Cobblers fall into two distinct categories; the cobblestone look of a biscuit topping or the flaky sheen of a pie dough crust. I like them both, but the biscuit-like topping is usually less intimidating to make than pie dough (no pie-whisperer abilities necessary).
The prep work is also a cinch. Small circles of dough are easily pinched with your fingers and dropped onto the prepared fruit. Much easier than high-maintenance pie dough which requires chilling, rolling, cutting, fitting, brushing, and covering.
So with that said, when a friend is nice enough to share with you her special peaches from Louisiana, it is only appropriate to reciprocate the favor. I do this as nature would intend and bake the juicy fruit into a cobbler. This recipe, from Alfred Portale’s 12 Seasons cookbook, is a favorite of mine, and can be filled with any number of summer fruits.
Peaches are great with raspberries and blackberries, so I mixed them all together with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, quickly made the topping in a stand mixer, and baked the whole mess for darn near an hour.
The recipe calls to make 8 individual cobblers, but I made one large one instead, hence a longer cooking time. Your oven time may vary as well if you decide to make one large batch. You know it is done when the top is a rich golden brown and the cobbler pulls away slightly from the edges, like a cake.
Cobblers are delicious with ice cream, but I like to make a mascarpone whipped cream. This topping is sturdier than whipped cream but softer than ice cream. All in all, the perfect cool compliment for billowy, crunchy biscuits and warm, sweet fruit.
Blackberry and Peach Cobbler
Courtesy of 12 Seasons by Alfred Portale
Serves 8
Fruit
10 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 pints blackberries, raspberries, or a combo
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Assembly
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350. Have ready 8 ramekins, each about 5 inches in diameter, or one large pan with enough capacity to hold fruit and cobbler topping.
In a bowl, combine the peaches, blackberries, enough sugar to sweeten, and cinnamon. Place in prepared cooking vessel.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the butter and mix on medium-high speed, until the mixture is just crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.
Top each ramekin with batter, crumbling it over the fruit with your fingers. Bake ramekins for about 35 minutes, large dish for 55 - 1 hour, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Cool slightly on wire racks and serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or whipped mascarpone cream.
Whipped Mascarpone Cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until mixture holds soft peaks.
