This recipe is originally from Chef Vivian Howard and is great for a cobbler anytime of the year. Today I'm making it with fresh peaches but she has used blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, plums, and apricots, as well as figs, apples, oranges and a combination of tangerines and cranberries for a festive-looking holiday cobbler.
 |
| Adding the Topping |
8-10 servings (9 x 12 dish)
For the Filling
2-4 pounds ripe fruit (see fruit note below)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Finely grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter
at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Fruit Note: If using peaches, peel/pit them before you begin. The other stone fruits like plums, apricots and nectarines do not require peeling. Just remove the pits and slice. Apples should be peeled and cored. Most berries need little preparation except for strawberries which require hulling. Peel citrus fruit and use seedless varieties. The weight noted in the recipe is after the fruit is peeled/pitted. For a half batch mostly you can just split the recipe, although I usually make all of the dough topping as it holds well until I'm ready to make another variety. Note that very juicy fruits like peaches will give off too much liquid and you may not be able to cook down the juices sufficiently. Reduce as best you can and then measure the final amount of liquid you add back to the fruit as noted in the recipe. Also note, that peaches come in two basic versions, freestone and cling. The cling are called this because they do not pull away from the stone and it must be cut free from the flesh. Sadly most sellers, even if they know the name of the variety they are selling, do not know if their peaches are freestone or cling. Finally, for half a recipe I use 7-8 medium size peaches, or 14-15 for a full batch. Less dense/juicy fruits like blueberries will require less fruit by weight. For blueberries I use about 2 pounds, sometimes even less.
For the filling: Combine the prepared fruit, sugar, lemon zest and juice and salt in a mixing bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture to burst some of the fruit if you are using blueberries. Stir and cover; let the fruit macerate at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, stirring when it's convenient. About halfway through place the fruit in a colander set over a bowl to drain.
Pour the drained juices from the bowl into a small saucepan; bring just to a low boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until the liquid is syrupy and has reduced by about half. You will need about 2/3 cups of liquid for the full receipt or 1/3 cup for half a recipe. If you have excess liquid set aside or discard.
Sprinkle the fruit with the cornstarch and flour. Stir to combine.
Pour the reduced liquid over the macerated fruit and stir again to combine.
For the crust: While the fruit is macerating and draining, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on low, then medium speed until light and fluffy. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add the egg and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
With the motor on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated to form a soft, sticky dough.
Transfer the dough to a separate bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or several days.
When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 9-by-12 baking dish or its equivalent with butter. Spread the fruit evenly in the bottom. You should have fruit filling approximately 1 1/2 inches deep in the dish.
Flatten a ball of dough between your hands to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Lay it on top of the fruit; repeat to cover the filling as much as possible. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour; the top should be a dark golden brown.
Cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.
Comments
Post a Comment