Nothing says summer to me like fresh apricots.

[madbaker]

This week's Resolution Recipe: Apricot Cobbler.
According to the OED, the term is "A sort of pie, baked in a pot lined with dough of great thickness, upon which the fruit is placed; according to the fruit, it is an apple or a peach cobbler". Because it often uses over-ripe fruit, it got the name "in punning allusion to the cobbler's last."

2-3 lbs fruit, sliced
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup sugar (I used a mixture of sugar and vanilla sugar)
(I threw in 1 tsp true cinnamon as well)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9" square pan and fill with fruit. Mix the cornstarch into the sugar and sprinkle over the top (with the cinnamon). Blend dry ingredients together and cut in butter. Beat together milk and egg and mix in quickly, trying not to overmix. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until it's cohesive. Gently roll out to the shape of the pan. Place over the fruit and bake for 45 minutes, with a pie shield underneath to catch drips.

The cobbler is down when the top is lightly browned and the fruit is soft and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes. Serve warm, if not molten.

What worked: I used the 3 lbs of fresh apricots that didn't go into making 10 pints of jam. It was faboo for breakfast.

What didn't: The crust was slightly gooey in the center. I probably should have used the toothpick test to check.

Will I make it again? I make at least one stone fruit cobbler every summer. I suspect I'll make at least another this year.

Oh, and the "cobbler's last" bit is completely true.
Except that it actually refers to the last sheep to be sheared in Aussie/New Zealish slang.

Comments

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that the OED says the dough goes on the bottom with fruit over it. I can't think of any time I've had fruit cobbler in that fashion; usually there's either crumble/streusel crust over it, or spooned sweet biscuit type dough on it.

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

There are some recipes like that in the cookbook I used, but all the cobblers I had growing up were fruit on the bottom, sweet biscuit on top. That's all I ever make.