Apples and honey are the traditional treat for Rosh Hashana, and Apple peach cobbler is a variation on this new year's dessert. It uses early-season sweet apples and late season (or frozen) peaches, with a smattering of dark brown sugar that adds a deep caramel flavor to an already indulgent fruit mixture.
A cobbler is basically pie filling topped with biscuits. The biscuits take the place of pie pastry, and help soak up the fruit juices when the cobbler is served.
I made this using my Pound Sweet heirloom apples. Pound Sweet is a variety whose name describes the fruit to a T. Each apple is large, weighing in at close to 16 ounces each. They are exceptionally sweet, with very little of the tartness that you associate with apples. They retain their firmness when they are cooked, so they make an excellent apple for pies and other desserts. Because they are more sweet than tart, however, they need something acidic added to keep the dish from being bland. Lemon juice serves this purpose as well as keeping the fruit from browning while you are preparing your biscuit mixture.
Apple Peach Cobbler
6 cups peeled, cored and sliced sweet apples
1 c. peeled and sliced peaches
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmet
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place apple and peach slices into casserole dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. In a small bowl, whisk together sugars, spices and corn starch. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of fruit and toss to cover. Set aside while preparing the biscuit mixture.
Cobbler Biscuits
1 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 egg
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Blend milk and egg together and stir into flour mixture to create a stiff batter.
Using a tablespoon, top the fruit mixture with six biscuits of equal size. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Biscuit topping should be golden brown.
Serve warm, scooping fruit over the biscuit, or serve cold. Top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Makes 6 generous portions.
