Easy Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

Last week I ended up with a glut of berries in the fridge and decided to make a dessert. Enter this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. Cobblers are baked fruit topped with fluffy dough biscuits which soak up all the delicious juices. Making the dough can be a chore but not so here. Although I was dubious about the concept of making the topping using just flour and creme fraiche, it worked like a charm and was definitely as easy as the recipe claims. Creme fraiche is a French version of sour cream, with a milder taste and a higher fat content. It is generally sold in the cheese aisle. You can use any combination of seasonal fruits. Try strawberries with rhubarb in spring, or pears and apples in winter. You need 4-5 cups of chopped fruit. If using peaches, pick ones that are not rock hard.

The best part is that this freezes beautifully, so when winter rolls around and I'm feeling glum, I can always pull out my summery dessert from the freezer to cheer myself up!

A note on measurements: I use standardized US measuring cups and spoons. If you use any random coffee cup to measure out your ingredients the biscuits won't taste the same. For tablespoons or teaspoons, use leveled rather than heaping spoonfuls. When measuring flour do not pack it tightly into the cup, just spoon it in lightly.

Easy Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

I simplified the recipe quite a bit. This is supposed to serve six but two of use greedily polished off half of it, and that after a big dinner! Serve with vanilla icecream, creme fraiche or sour cream on the side. If you want to freeze this, put in plastic containers after it's cooked and cooled down and microwave on high for a couple of minutes until thawed and hot when you're ready to eat it.


Filling:

2 peaches, peeled, pitted and diced

2 cups mixed blueberries and blackberries

1/2 cup (100g) sugar (If your fruit is very sweet use a bit less sugar)

2 tbsp water

3 tsp cornstarch

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Biscuits:

1 cup (125g) flour

1.5 tsp (7.5g) baking powder

Large pinch of salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup (240ml) creme fraiche

1) Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Set a rack in the bottom third of the oven.

2) In a baking dish, mix all filling ingredients. 

3) In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add creme fraiche and stir until all the flour is incorporated and dough comes together. Take golf-ball sized lumps of the dough, flatten slightly and lay on top of the fruit. Sprinkle sugar on top of each dough round.

4) Bake 25 minutes until dough is golden on top. Let cool for 15 min before eating.