Peach and Ricotta Biscuit Cobbler
Because I love biscuits, I have always preferred true cobblers over crisps and crumbles.A cobbler delivers that doughy-dumpling texture where the biscuits meet the fruit juices and braises. I find that on most dessert menus, there is a cobbler listed and that it is almost always a crisp. But both desserts make great use of a bounty of fruit and can be served at pretty much any meal.
In terms of cobblers, for me, peach cobbler is the only cobbler, but of course, you can use any fruit you like in equal measure.
Serves 8
- 2 pounds ripe peaches, skinned, pitted, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 recipe Ricotta Biscuits dough (see below), cut into 2-inch squares
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, for brushing
Combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Arrange the biscuit dough on top of the filling and brush the surface with the heavy cream.
Bake the cobbler until the biscuits are browned and baked through and the juices bubble vigorously around the edges of the dish, about 45 minutes. Serve warm. Any leftovers will keep well at room temperature overnight, but it’s best eaten the same day.
Ricotta Biscuits
Makes 16 biscuits- 5 cups cake flour, plus more for rolling
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
- 1 1/2 cups cold whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained for at least 1 hour in a fine-mesh strainer lined with two layers of cheesecloth
Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Pinch and smear the pieces of butter between your fingers. Processing the butter like this creates small leaves of butter that layer in the dough, resulting in flakes later. Once all the butter chunks have been pinched, grab small handfuls of flour and butter and rub the two together between the palms of your hands until the mixture resembles uneven pebbles on a sandy beach.
Create a well in the center of the mixture and add 1 cup of the buttermilk. Using a fork, toss the flour and butter from around the edge of the well into the center. Fluff the buttermilk and flour mixture with the fork five or six times, until shaggy looking.
Crumble the ricotta cheese into tablespoon-size chunks over the dough, making sure not to break up the cheese too much. Using your hands with your fingers spread wide open, loosely incorporate the cheese into the dough with a lift-and-gently-squeeze motion. Drizzle the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk over the dough while using the fork to bring the mixture together into a loose and shaggy mass.
Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to shape the dough into a 10 x 7-inch rectangle. Fold the rectangle in thirds like a letter and then rotate 90 degrees. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough back into a 10 x 7-inch rectangle. Repeat the folding, rotating, and rolling process two more times, ending with the dough shaped into a 10 x 7-inch rectangle of about 1-inch thickness. Wrap the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Position two racks in the center zone of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Return the dough to the work surface and roll it out into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle of about 3/4-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, trim and discard 1/4 inch from all sides of the dough. Cut the rectangle into 4 evenly spaced vertical strips, and then into 4 horizontal strips to get 16 biscuits. Place 8 biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart on each prepared baking sheet. Generously brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk.
Bake until the biscuits are golden brown and have expanded upwards to reveal fluffy layers on the sides, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool for as long as you can stand it, or risk a burned mouth and go for it.
Reprinted from “Dappled” by arrangement with Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright 2019, Nicole Rucker.
"Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers" by Nicole Rucker ($32, Avery).
