6 tablespoons chilled heavy whipping cream
Topping
3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground gingerPinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
Sweetened whipped cream
FILLING: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place peaches, plums, blackberries, sugar, and tapioca in 8×8×2-inch glass baking dish; toss to coat. Bake until fruit is tender and juices are bubbling thickly, about 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
BISCUITS: Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add lemon peel and butter; using fingertips, rub in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream; stir until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Using floured hands, pat out dough on floured surface to 6-inch square; cut into 6 equal rectangles.
TOPPING: Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until moist clumps form.
Place dough rectangles atop hot cobbler. Sprinkle topping over. Bake until biscuits are golden, about 25 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
In this cobbler, the biscuits are baked separately and placed on the filling just before serving. You can also split the biscuits as you would shortcakes and top the biscuit halves with the filling. 6 servings
Filling
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch Pinch of salt
½ cup water
6 cups whole pitted Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (from about 2¾ pounds unpitted cherries)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¾ teaspoon finely grated lime peel
Biscuits
1¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon finely grated lime peelMilk
FILLING: Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Whisk brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in large ovenproof skillet. Add ½ cup water and stir over medium heat until sugar and cornstarch dissolve. Add cherries; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping sides of skillet and stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and lime peel.
BISCUITS: Whisk flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk crème fraîche, vanilla, and lime peel in small bowl. Add crème fraîche mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork just until dough begins to come together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 6 turns. Gather dough into round; pat out to ½-inch thickness. Using 3-inch-diameter biscuit cutter or cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gather dough scraps together; pat out to ½-inch thickness and cut out more rounds for 6 biscuits total. Transfer rounds to rimmed baking sheet; brush tops lightly with milk, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Place skillet with cherries in bottom third of oven; place baking sheet with biscuits in top third of oven. Bake until cherries are bubbling and biscuits are golden, about 17 minutes.
Divide warm cherries among 6 bowls; top each with 1 biscuit and serve.
Dried blueberries and apple juice add understated sweetness to the filling. If you have a sweet tooth, increase the sugar by 1 or 2 tablespoons. Medium-grind stone-ground cornmeal adds an appetizing texture to the biscuits. It can be found at many supermarkets and at natural foods stores. 8 to 10 servings
Biscuits
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
⅔ cup medium-grind stone-ground cornmeal
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅔ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Filling
6 pounds firm but ripe Seckel, Taylor’s Gold, or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cut into ½- to ¾-inch pieces (about 12 cups)
1 cup apple juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon (scant) coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1½ cups dried wild blueberries
Vanilla ice cream
BISCUITS: Whisk flour, cornmeal, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and coarse salt in large bowl. Add chilled butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream; stir just until moistened. Gather dough together; form into 8-inch-long log. Cut log crosswise into eight 1-inch-thick rounds. Spread remaining 3 tablespoons sugar on plate. Dip 1 cut side of each biscuit into melted butter, then dip buttered side in sugar. Place biscuits, sugared side up, on platter; sprinkle any remaining sugar over top. Cover and chill.
FILLING: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13×9×2-inch glass baking dish. Place pears, apple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, coarse salt, and nutmeg in large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Transfer pear filling to prepared dish. Dot with diced butter. Cover dish with foil. Bake until pears are almost tender, about 50 minutes. Remove dish from oven; stir dried blueberries into pear filling. Place biscuits atop filling. Continue to bake cobbler uncovered until filling is bubbling thickly, biscuits are pale golden, and tester inserted into biscuits comes out clean, about 35 minutes longer (biscuits may look cracked). Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.
Cardamom lends exotic intrigue to this classic American summer dessert. This recipe can be prepared as one big cobbler, using a 13×9-inch oval baking dish or a 2-quart baking dish and arranging the biscuits over the filling. Makes 6
Filling
6 cups blackberries
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Biscuits
1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1 3-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes