- Jul 8, 2020

Nectarine Cobbler

Stone fruit season is now among us. We’ve got a bountiful selection of peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries, pluots, plumcots, and every other hybrid in between. During the peak of the season the only way I'll eat a stone fruit is right over the sink with my sleeves rolled up past my elbow. However, during the beginning and end of the season they tend to be more on the tart side. This is where all the baked fruits start to come into play.

Baking fruits with a little bit of sugar, acid, and a thicker just takes it to the next level. Sugars start caramelizing, juices start flowing out, and the pectin becomes activated with the extra boost of acid to create a thick jammy like sauce. Perfect for cobblers, crisps, ice cream toppings, and spreads.

I personally like bigger fruits or frozen fruits when it comes to cobblers, so nectarines were perfect for this! If you use small fruits like berries they have a tendency to turn somewhat like jam by the time your biscuits turn golden brown. So, if you’re really craving a mixed berry or cherry cobbler then I suggest going for a bag of frozen berries/cherries. They will hold up much better than the fresh stuff and will taste just as delicious. Just be sure to use them frozen and add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch!

I served my cousin this cobbler and after 1 bite she was like “Where's the ice cream? The whipped cream? C’mon man!” So whenever I list ice cream as an ingredient is it rarely there as an optional ingredient. There isn't much in the world that wouldn't be better with a little scoop of ice cream and it especially goes for this dessert and any fruit dessert that follows. Nothing beats a spoonful of warm, fresh and tart stone fruit, fluffy & moist golden brown cobbler, and cold creamy ice cream preferably pistachio or vanilla for me.

Suggestions & Substitutions

Fruits: I prefer to use stone fruit in cobblers but you can really put any fruits that you like. I've done a mango cobbler and berry cobbler before and both were great. Just make sure that it's a fruit that you like and if its frozen, use an extra tablespoon of cornstarch and bake for 15 - 20 minutes longer.

Lemon: Whatever fruit you use, the one thing you do need to use is an acid and in this recipe the acid I choose to use is lemon juice. The acid activates the pectin in the fruit to help turn the juices into a jammy consistency. However, you can use any acid you have on hand. That could be lime, distilled vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch just acts as a thickening agent and luckily there are tons of other thickening options out there. You can replace cornstarch with tapioca starch, plain flour (AP, bread, whole wheat, semolina, etc), potato starch, and even arrowroot work great!

Heavy cream: works best however, if you don't have any on hand you can use whole milk, yogurt with a little bit of water , or sour cream with a little bit of water! The only thing to know is that you want the same consistency as heavy cream. So for the yogurt and sour cream add enough water to thin out the consistency. So for example, add 2 -3 tablespoons of water in a measuring cup and then reach the 3/4 cup line with yogurt or sour cream.

Ice cream: I know what I said up there. I still stand by it but if you're feeling lazy and don't want to get ice cream or you don't want to use our last bit for this. Other options that work are whipped cream, gelato, sweetened sourcream, whipped coconut cream or really anything that is cold, sweet, and creamy!