Imported Flavor

 Last week, I had a carton of rock-hard nectarines at my disposal, and no great ideas for how to ripen them without them turning into mushy brown-fleshed ickyness. Longing for "home-style" desserts, I opted to make a cobbler out of these potentially juicy, sweet fruits. Thankfully, the unconventional method of preparation for the cobbler recipe I tried made priceless gems out of these otherwise useless "stones" of nectarines. Though I have no photos to document the incredible success of this recipe, I will serve as premier witness of the undeniably amazing finished product. This cobbler has star potential. Brilliant. Delicious. Try it with ripened gorgeous fruits, ugly duckling fruits, unripened fruits destined for the compost pile. I promise the recipe and technique will find the hidden potential in any gem of fruit. Mmm. Just thinking about it almost makes me want to run to the market to purchase another carton of imported, lackluster, baseballs of nectarines. On the other hand, fresh mango is probably my better option.


Nectarine Cobbler
Slightly adapted from Annies-Eats

For the filling:
2 1/2 lbs. ripe but firm peaches I used 5
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt

For the biscuit topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt I used tropical fruit flavored, the lone yogurt in the fridge and flavor was outstanding

*Note – this recipe can be doubled easily by baking in a 9×13- inch baking dish and increasing the baking time for both the nectarines and the assembled cobbler about 5 minutes each.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat the oven to 425° F.  For the filling, peel the necatarines ( I always opt to keep the skins on) and then cut each into 8 wedges, removing the pits as you go.  Gently toss the fruit and sugar together in a large bowl.  Stir together the cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl.  Toss the nectarines with the mixture and transfer to a 8-inch square glass baking dish.  Bake until fruit begin to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.  

Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping.  In the food processor (Or cut butter into dry ingredients by hand), combine the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Pulse to combine.  Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl; add the yogurt and toss with a spatula until a cohesive dough is formed.  (Be careful not to overmix.) 

After the fruit has baked 10 minutes, remove from the oven and place tablespoon-sized dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2-inch apart (they should not touch).  Sprinkle each mound with the remaining sugar (Optional).  Bake until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16-18 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes; serve with ice cream, milk, or whipped cream.