Gingery Plum, Apple & Pear Cobbler with Cream Biscuits
Serves 8 to 10
Our days in the Cotswolds unfolded in the gentle collision of seasons, when fields still hum with summer and the hedgerows blush toward autumn. When heavy tomatoes drip with juice and cap a comforting broiled cheese toast and soup simmers on the stove while plums remain abundant at the market. If you’re making this when summer has long since vanished you can omit the plums and simply use apples and pears with great success. You may have noticed that in a book with less than twenty recipes two of them are based on this scone recipe. I make no apologies, they are really that good. Use the best butter and the richest cream you can find.
3 ripe plums, pitted and diced
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 medium pears, peeled, cored, and diced
½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
For the Cream Biscuits:
2 cups / 240 g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
½ cup / 113 g unsalted butter (1 stick), cold and cut into small cubes
1 cup / 240 g heavy cream, plus more for brushing
Whipped cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large bowl, toss the plums, apples, and pears with sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9x13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish.
For the biscuit topping, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and cut it into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Pour in the cream and stir just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a rectangle, and fold it over itself once or twice to create flaky layers. Pat it out to about 1-inch thickness and cut into rounds or squares. Or roll out the dough to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness to cover the top of the pan. Cut slits in the dough to allow some steam to escape.
Arrange the biscuits over the fruit, leaving a little space between them so the juices can bubble through. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with the remaining granulated sugar.
Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuits are golden and cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Serve the cobbler warm with a generous spoonful of cream.